Reviving the Legend *repost*

[Donners]

Thanks for that. Must have taken a while! Apologies for the sluggish updates. These forums are now blocked at work.

February, 2036

Birmingham, Premier League, Away

Birmingham are deep in relegation territory. They have evidently given up, not signing any players in January and selling Bulgaria defender Nikola Tashev for ₤1.8M to Coventry.

Oliva had a shot saved in the 20th, then when partner Nuno's effort was parried, he was there to score in the 34th. If that sounds terse, it's also a complete description of all the major events in the first half. Birmingham offered absolutely nothing, and we rarely had clear-cut chances. Birmingham tried to come forward in the 54th when Oliva put a header wide, only to open themselves up for a counter-attack which saw Nuno double the lead. A Birmingham player kicked him out of frustration and was promptly sent off. Naturally, they then scored in the final minutes, but we held the lead to the end.

Cardiff, Premier League, Away

Cardiff look to be settled in their usual lower half position. They lost Scotland midfielder Alex Turner to Leicester for ₤3.7M, bringing in Tottenham right back Wayne Jones. Striker Trond Ringstad is their only player with more than two goals for the season. Pereira made a welcome return to the side after a long absence through injury.

Two free kicks to Rushden resulted in two missed shots at goal in the first five minutes. We had eight shots in the first quarter hour without any success. By half time, it was up to eleven, and still no goals. Pál was missing headers, Aros couldn't beat the keeper and Oliva kept hitting the side netting. It took substitute Zegers to create a goal, and even then it was indirect. His long volley was parried, and a defender's attempt to clear only resulted in an own goal. However, a weak header from Richard Nilsen allowed Cardiff to equalise soon after – just their third shot of the game. Aros had one shot saved and put another into the post as despite absolute domination, we somehow failed to win.

Newcastle, Premier League, Home

After that awful result, a match against third-placed Newcastle was made even more interesting. Newcastle made some big moves in and out during January. Out went defender Andy Lock (₤4.6M to Manchester City) and Romania keeper Florin Sava (₤5.5M to MK Dons) while coming in where Syria utility Jalal Basheer (₤7.5M from Chelsea) and West Ham defender Mark Jules (₤5.75M).

Coming off a bad result, we had an even worse start, conceding to star striker Henry Lopez in only four minutes. Al-Dossari was kept under immense pressure, with Bolivian Lopez causing all sorts of problems. However, a long ball down the right from Uruno to Gardner resulted in a cross which Nuno tapped in, to bring us level in the 11th. Former Rushden midfielder Thom Eerhart took a number of shots at goal, and Newcastle were clearly the better side of the first half.

Oliva looked to have put us into the lead in the 54th, only to have it ruled offside. Al-Dossari kept up his fine game to prevent Newcastle snatching the lead, and it was Nuno who put Rushden ahead. He headed in a corner from Santaella, making it 2-1 in the 68th. We held them off pretty well from then, and when Nuno was upended in the area, an 84th minute penalty was awarded. As usual, Aros did the job, extending the lead. Newcastle scored a second to mar Al-Dossari's Man of the Match effort somewhat, but the three points still went to the Diamonds.

Bristol Rovers, FA Cup 5th round, Home

We have been pretty fortunate with the Cup draws this season and drew the bottom side of the Championship here. I rested a few players, though it was a regular senior player, Alexis Aros, who opened the scoring with an 11th minute free kick. Another free kick, this one indirect from Santaella, was headed in by Gardner two minutes later. Quite embarrassingly, a terrible 17-year-old winger took advantage of a bad error by Richard Nilsen to pull one back for Rovers, though a free kick from Vargas quickly restored the two-goal lead. Gardner made it 4-1 with his second, and Nuno poached one on the other side of the break. Zegers came off the bench and scored within five minutes before a 25-yard effort from Vargas completed a 7-1 win.

Rangers, Champions League 1st knockout round, leg 1, Away

Rangers are second in the SPL, having won last season. Their side is not too special, with ex-Rushden backup full back Luis Jaka one of their most expensive players. They do have quality Finland left winger Jimmy Nordberg, at least. We were missing Al-Dossari and Uruno to international duty.

Santaella, Semb and Oliva missed shots in the first ten minutes, while a long-range effort from Aros was tipped over. It was a reasonably even first half, with Aros clearly the biggest danger on the pitch. Kim Schouw did a solid job with a few saves, and when Gardner launched a pass into the area, Fabien Lesage was there to head us into the lead. With a late save from Schouw, we took an advantage into the second leg.

Wigan, Premier League, Home

Wigan have done a bit better than last season, where they barely escaped relegation. They did not make any changes to their squad in January, with Ireland winger Roger Hall and defenders Bradley Fallon and Stephen Powell doing a good job.

An excellent interception from Spellman, playing in the midfield, was followed by an even better pass. He found Cees Zegers in space, and he dodged a defender to put us into an 8th minute lead. Wigan actually played quite well, led by captain Daniel Morley, but with Romanov and Sinclair unbeatable in defence, we held on for the three points despite failing to add to the lead.

I was again named Manager of the Month.

[Donners]

March, 2036

Arsenal, Premier League, Home

Arsenal have been pretty poor this season, sitting ninth on the table. Manager Peter Williams has just been sacked, with assistant Luke Lovegrove taking over. Their transfers in January were substantial. As well as releasing former England winger Aaron Johnson, they sold former Spain defender Diego Cantos (₤525K to MK Dons), Swiss right winger Didier David (₤5.75M to Man City) and Italy left winger Mirko Gigli (₤17.25M to Deportivo). They spent even more than they gained from sales, with ex-Rushden centre back Kristian Gaup (₤21M from Udinese), Serbia keeper Pedrag Mitrovic (₤19M from Verona), England midfielder Gary Prosser (₤10.75M from Sevilla) and England left winger Michael Ormerod (₤34.5M from Atlético) all joining. With superstar midfielder Francisco Matoso and strikers Peter Carr and Nick Hogg, they really should move up the table.

It wasn't until the 22nd minute that anyone had a shot, when a weak goal kick from Arsenal resulted in a counter-attack, ending with a save from Nuno. Nuno was again denied in the 33rd and it was clear things were going against us. We had eleven shots without success. Jamaican star Peter Carr, on the other hand, needed just one chance to score for Arsenal. That ended a run of twelve games without defeat in the league for Rushden. The title seems to be ours, though there's still nine games to go.

Rangers, Champions League 1st knockout round, leg 2, Home

With a slight advantage – 1-0 from the away leg – we had a decent chance to progress. Strand put an early header over, but managed to set up Al-Abdullah for a goal in the 9th. We could have made sure of it when a penalty was earned in the 28th. Unfortunately, Aros was being rested, and Uruno's attempt was saved. Rangers scored in the 52nd, and suddenly we were just a goal away from being knocked out. Thankfully, Lesage managed to restore the two-goal buffer a few minutes later, and he then set up Al-Abdullah in the 73rd. We lost both Lesage and Gardner to injury, yet we capped off the win with a goal to Strand. 5-1 on aggregate, to progress. Gardner's season was ended with a sprained ankle, which is unfortunate with fellow right winger Colin Holmes sold in January.

Manchester City, FA Cup 6th round, Home

City are still in the Championship after being relegated in 33/34, though they are pushing towards promotion. They've spent ₤27M on new faces, but sold more than that. Former England striker Danny Livermore, Hungary right winger Peter Feher and Ireland keeper Peter Legister are all quality performers.

After a game off, Alexis Aros quickly got back to his deadly best. Though he did miss his first attempt, he scored in the 11th. Al-Dossari was rarely challenged – indeed, they never put a shot on target. We did waste a few chances, with Zegers and Aros off-target several times. Nuno managed to find space and put through our second in the 56th, which was all we needed.

Barnsley, Premier League, Away

Barnsley are having a terrific season, and could be pushing for a European spot. They did not make any signings in January, and are reliant on on-loan strikers Warren Walton and Bela Szili, with 22 goals between them.

Craig Sinclair shut down an attack from Walton in the first few minutes, while Nuno missed for us at the opposite end. Romanov also cut out an assault, while two that got through were dealt with by Al-Dossari. A sharp pass from Morales sent Nuno through for the first goal of the game ten minutes before the break. Early in the second half, Morales picked up a yellow card for tugging on the jumper of opposing winger David Gunn. Just seconds later, he did the same thing again – and received another yellow card. That left us with ten men for thirty more minutes. Nonetheless, we had shots from Zegers, Nuno and Spellman, and in injury time, Nuno was played through by Vargas for his, and our, second.

Middlesbrough, Premier League, Home

Middlesbrough are in the middle of the table, as usual. They made no changes in January. They have some pretty good defenders, including Belgian Anthony Girard and Slovenian Damir Gomzi, while quality Ghana striker Isaac Asamoah has over a dozen goals this season.

Though Middlesbrough had their third-choice keeper playing, he managed to deny Aros and Nuno from pretty good chances. Julian Marsden, in a rare run, managed to hit the post in the 33rd, and striker Nuno, fresh of a brace in the last game, ducked in to score. A few minutes into the second half, Marsden got the goal he nearly had then, with a header from Santaella's cross. Al-Dossari handled a shot from Asamoah and a through ball from Aros gave Nuno his fifteenth goal of the season. Partner Zegers joined in with a late goal. Al-Dossari was caught completely out of position when Zegers was dispossessed, allowing Asamoah to score from 45 yards, leaving us with a 4-1 result.

With Newcastle beaten 2-0 by Liverpool, our lead at the top is an astonishing 19 points, with seven games to go. We are still alive in the FA Cup and Champions League, and they really should be the focus now.

Aros was Player of the Month, with Vargas third.

[Donners]

April, 2036

Milan, Champions League quarter final, leg 1, Home

There were all sorts of selection problems for this game. We were missing Al-Dossari, Pereira, Uruno, Morales, Al-Abdullah and, worst of all, Aros, to World Cup qualifiers. With Gardner and Holden injured and Zegers, Gonzalez, Nuno and Marsden unregistered, it was a huge dilemma. Milan were missing Brazil full back Marcos, Colombia forward Daniel Miguel and Argentina midfielder Dario Gonzalez, yet kept superstar Argentina striker Carlos Lencina, Canada midfielder Alex Smith and Ukraine left back Olexandr Borysenko.

It would have been hard to start this match much worse than we did. Just seven minutes in, Santaella struck an opponent in the face with an errant elbow, earning a straight red card. I pushed Pál back as a defensive midfielder, playing just three at the back. Lesage came close for Rushden, but it was the star Lencina who put Milan ahead with an away goal in the 20th. Backup keeper Kim Schouw kept out a shot at the start of the second half, and Richard Nilsen headed away a corner. Pál, still setting up attacks from the defensive side of midfield, sent Lesage on a run in the 54th. He was blocked by a defender, but the ball spilled to Dan Spellman. He quickly launched a lob over the head of the keeper, and it dribbled into the net. A crucial levelling of the aggregate, though they do have an away goal. The game was pretty even in the remaining minutes, with a few shots at goal for each side, though none beat the respective keepers. We must score in the second leg to progress.

Cardiff, Premier League, Home

We played Cardiff for the first time this season in February, so they haven't had any squad changes since then. They should survive, thanks to Norway striker Trond Ringstad and on-loan defender Seamus Walker.

Cardiff were put on notice early with a dangerous free from Strand barely tipped over by former Diamonds keeper Kenneth Bergseth. Al-Abdullah twice volleyed over and with Cardiff completely on the defensive, the first half ended without them having even an attempt at goal. The second half was the same, with Cardiff locking things down and Rushden unable to break through. Zegers and Morales tested Bergseth with headers and the former had a close range shot turned away in the final minutes. All to no avail, with a scoreless draw. Defender James Gibbs came on for his first ever Rushden appearance.

Milan, Champions League quarter final, leg 2, Away

Both sides had their internationals back. Rushden had the tougher task, needing to score to avoid going out on away goals. Lencina, the scorer from the previous game, had a go at goal inside four minutes, hitting the side netting. Oliva was likewise unsuccessful with his first attempt, and though he played through Strand a few minutes later, the winger shot over. Strand was a regular attacker, and on one of his forays forward, he was shoved over. He took the free kick on the left of the area himself, hooking it in. Al-Abdullah rose up, headed across the goal...and into the far side of the net. 2-1 on aggregate, and now we had an away goal ourselves. As if that wasn't enough, just three minutes later a Jennings cross was spilled to Oliva, who made no mistake. Suddenly, it was 3-1, and we looked set for the semi final. A free kick in the first minute made sure of it – Aros, as usual, drilling it in from 25 yards. Lencina showed his astonishing ability with a goal in the 67th, but it was too late for Milan. 4-2 on aggregate, and we're into the semi. Gibbs came on late again, and Portuguese striker Rafael made his début.

In something of an anti-climax, Newcastle lost 0-1 to Sunderland mid-week, meaning they could no longer reach us in top spot. It was only a mathematical chance anyway, but this ensured Rushden were officially announced as the winners with five games left to play. That was our second straight EPL title win, and fifth overall, catapulting me into the England Hall of Fame and confirming Rushden's status as a powerhouse. All we need now is a win in the FA Cup and/or the Champions League to cap off a fantastic season.

Bolton, FA Cup semi final, Neutral

It's quite apt that we drew Bolton here, given that they knocked us out of the Carling Cup. They went on to win that on penalties, making this a pretty successful season despite sitting in the middle of the table. Naturally, they would also be keen to succeed here, though they were at least missing Scotland defensive pair Michael Wilson and Shaun Bowman.

Strand launched an attack out of the back half, and with a sharp pass from Aros, Al-Abdullah was through. He looked a great chance to put us ahead in the 10th, but instead fired over. He missed again in the 28th, and it was left to partner Nuno to give Rushden the lead – yet again, thanks to an Aros pass. We lost Pereira to injury later in the half, and a few minutes later, Australian Mark Hayward levelled the scores. Julian Marsden did as he managed in his last game, getting forward from his position on the right wing and heading in a goal. This was much more valuable than his one against Middlesbrough, as it restored the lead before half time. Nuno was twice denied by the keeper, and it almost proved costly. Hayward had a shot in the 80th which beat Al-Dossari and rammed off the crossbar. Thankfully, it spilled free, and four minutes later, Nuno scored his second to settle it. Al-Abdullah missed again in the final moments, and with Nuno in such astonishing form - seven goals in his last four games (he's not registered for the Champions League) – Al-Abdullah's position is in real doubt. Pereira's season was ended with broken ribs, which is an annoyance for our remaining games.

MK Dons, Premier League, Home

Remarkably for a side in League One a decade ago, MK Dons are fourth on the EPL table. They suffered a bit of a drop after the January transfers, having sold England centre back John Simpson (₤9.25M to Man U) and keeper Doug Johnson (₤8.5M to Chelsea). Though their new signings, Romania keeper Florin Sava (₤5.5M from Newcastle) and former Spain defender Diego Cantos (₤525K from Arsenal) are not direct replacements, they have filled gaps while Norway striker Ole-Kristian Dahlen (16 league goals) and Finland defender Filip Arvidsson keep performing. With the championship assured, I rested the likes of Aros and Nuno for this game, with James Gibbs starting on the pitch for the first time.

Richard Hulshoff made the most of a rare start. When Lesage was beaten in the air for a high ball, Hulshoff collected the loose ball, twisted around a defender and scored the opener. A shove on Marsden earned us a 24th minute penalty. Gibbs got the chance to score his first goal for the club, and unfortunately failed, with a shot into the keeper. A solo effort from Strand late in the game unfortunately ended in a miss, though we still looked quite comfortable. With just five minutes to go, though, Dons pulled level with a rare strike. That quickly sparked the Rushden players into action. A few minutes later, the unstoppable Strand raced down the left and crossed in, with Hulshoff heading in the winner. Marsden set up Strand for a goal of his own to cap a terrific individual game.

Liverpool, Premier League, Away

Liverpool have just taken over from Dons in fourth spot. They didn't bring in any players during January, selling right back Steve Green to Chelsea (₤5.75M). Strikers Richard Scott and Scott Strachan have thirty goals between them for the season.

It was one of the players from my Norway squad, midfielder Daniel Nilsen, who opened the scoring for Liverpool in the 16th. Their powerful strike force kept Al-Dossari under pressure, and it was perhaps surprising they didn't score again. However, a free kick from Tom Jennings levelled the scores in the 33rd, and an interception and burst of pace from Oliva handed us the lead just on half time. After a quite dominant start, Liverpool went very quiet in the second half, and another good burst from Oliva saw him find the open Morales for a 3-1 win. The big worry was that Al-Abdullah completely missed with four of five shots.

Manchester United, Champions League semi final, leg 1, Home

This was actually our first game against United since November. They are third in the league, and improved their squad in January. Belgium defender Arno Cornelisse was their only loss (₤2.7M to West Ham), with England defender John Simpson (₤9.25M from MK Dons), Norway defender Svein Sotberg (₤9.25M from Valencia) and Holland midfielder Gerrit van der Lee (₤21M from FC Bayern) all added. Ex-Rushden striker Ibrahim Tolba presents a significant threat, and veteran England keeper Anthony Canoville (in his 15th season at the club) is hard to get past. While we were missing Holden, Gardner and Pereira for this game through injury, with Santaella suspended, the big loss was ineligible Nuno.

Oliva was brought down in the sixth minute. The resulting free went into the area, where Pál headed it into the crowd. We got another free a minute later, and though Aros was on target, 34-year-old Canoville pulled off a fine save. Fabien Lesage, playing as a striker for the first time in a few months, put a shot wide. A cross from Strand into the area was met with a diving header from Oliva...straight into the post. The game took an interesting twist with Canoville forced off injured in the 35th, to be replaced by ex-Diamonds keeper Anton Grigoryan. However, it was another familiar player, Tolba, who did the most damage – scoring with just a minute to go to half time. That was their first shot on target, with just two overall. We had nine with four on target, yet were behind.

The frustration looked set to continue with Aros and Oliva missing to open the second half. However, a 52nd minute ball from Morales got through the defence, and Fabien Lesage put through his first goal since getting injured in this competition over a month ago. Strand and Aros earned corners from Grigoryan, and a resulting scramble in the area resulted in Aros somehow squeezing a shot past the crowd and into the back of the net. A dive from Lesage earned a penalty, which Aros drilled through to make it 3-1. A big win in front of a record crowd, and we look set for the finals of two major cup competitions. It came at a cost, with Lesage's season ended with a pulled hamstring.

Aston Villa, Premier League, Home

Villa are already confirmed as going down, and at least got to face a second-string Rushden side. They brought in Saudi forward Faisal Al-Yami (free) and striker Martin Eggen (₤900K from Rosenborg) in a desperate attempt to survive, but ultimately failed. None of their players has more than four goals for the season.

Richard Hulshoff missed an early shot but opened the scoring with a 25-yard chip in the 26th. Kim Schouw did some good work to keep out Villa, and with a successful free kick from Tom Jennings, we took a 2-0 lead into half time. They pulled back a goal with a free in the final twenty minutes and with some late attacks, came quite close to an equaliser. They were pretty even with us for most of the game, and could probably have earned a point, but fell just short.

Manchester United, Champions League semi final, leg 2, Away

I went into this game reasonably relaxed, with a 3-1 lead forcing United to score at least two goals to make it to the final. Just two minutes in, a weak clearance from Romanov and a failed challenge from Strand let United's England captain Neal Herbert find ex-Rushden striker Ibrahim Tolba with a pinpoint pass. His finish made it 3-2 on aggregate, with 88 minutes to go. We got a bit of breathing space ten minutes later, with Morales crossing to Al-Abdullah for a long overdue goal. United certainly weren't giving up despite needing two more goals just to get to extra time (now that we both had an away goal). Herbert hit the post, but it was an unlikely threat, Macedonian defender Vladimir Toleski, who scored when an indirect free fell his way in the 40th. We kicked off, but quickly lost possession. United, on the other hand, controlled it, and when Herbert danced past Sinclair, we were in trouble. He outpaced Romanov and fired past Al-Dossari for number three – 4-4 on aggregate, and we'd already conceded three in a half.

Al-Dossari had to save from a Herbert header just two minutes into the second half. However, Rushden managed to hit back, and who else but superstar Alexis Aros to score a crucial goal in the 58th. Not just a lead on aggregate, but a second away goal – meaning we would win even if they scored one more. With nine minutes to go, Pál was shown a yellow card for tripping striker Josifovski. We already had five players with yellow cards, and unfortunately, he was one of them. Al-Dossari pulled off two brilliant parries from Josifovski in the following minutes. 5-4 on aggregate, and a first Champions League final for Rushden. It was a very costly win. Morales had his season ended with fractured ribs, and both Uruno and Pál will be banned for the final, which will be against Real Madrid.

Strand was runner-up as Young Player of the Month. The league is at least out of the way, and I will go out with a virtual reserve side in the remaining three games to keep key players fresh for the crucial finals.

[tenthreeleader]

Great play - and wonderful success! Best of luck in the final!

[Donners]

Cheers! Wow, I just realised how many games there were in April. I was wondering why it was taking so long to write!

May, 2036

Sunderland, Premier League, Away

Sunderland are a mid-table side. They added defender Ferreira (₤1.2M from Nantes) and midfielder Cesar Rodriguez (₤3.5M from Barcelona), though these were more than outweighed by their sale of ex-Rushden, and now current England, forward Ollie Burton (₤19.75M to Atlético).

Ronald Vargas scored in the opening minute thanks to a cross from Nuno, and Vargas and Hulshoff kept the pressure on. With Sunderland's leading scorer, Denis Arregi, forced off, and an own goal from a Holden cross, we looked comfortable with a 2-0 lead at half time. However, it all suddenly fell apart in the second half. Cesar Rodriguez, who had hardly managed a game this season, popped up with two goals in ten minutes, and with a late free kick, Sunderland were in front. A half-hearted Rushden did nothing to fight back, and slumped to a rare loss.

Manchester United, Premier League, Away

Again players were rested, this time against a more dangerous opponent. We were outplayed, and with two goals to Ibrahim Tolba (one from a penalty), a second straight loss was recorded, despite a late consolation from Nuno.

Bolton, Premier League, Home

Yet another game against Bolton – the fifth this season – and a better one than our first two league games this month. The first half was scoreless, but Hulshoff put us ahead in the 59th. Cees Zegers then came off the bench and scored a brace for a 3-0 end to the season.

Sheffield United, FA Cup final, Neutral

Sheffield United were the surprise of this competition, making it this far despite being 9th in the Championship. Still, the only EPL side they had to face were Everton. We knocked them out of the Carling Cup 3-0, with goals to Nuno, Santaella and Zegers. Striker Keith Moran is their major threat, and keeper Jose Sainz is solid. We were missing Pereira, Lesage, Morales and Al-Abdullah to injury. With the Champions League final just four days away, I rested Strand and Oliva. We lost the FA Cup final in our only other appearance, against Newcastle in 2026.

There was really little to speak of from the first half, with a missed shot from Nuno and intercepted cross from Zegers the only events. They didn't have a shot and were well down on possession, yet still level on the scoreboard. Nuno twice missed in the first twenty minutes of the second half, and with Sheffield still on the defensive, the ninety minutes ended scoreless. This was the last thing we needed with a game in four days. The only chance of extra time was a long-range volley from Pál which went over, taking us to penalties. Sheffield's second shot was put over the bar and Al-Dossari saved the fourth. With Aros, Uruno, Jennings and Romanov all successful, an underwhelming FA Cup win was recorded.

Real Madrid, Champions League Final, Neutral

This is our first Champions League final, while Real Madrid lost it as recently as 33/34, and won in 22/23 and 23/24. They finished second in the Primera Division this season. Fortunately, their most valuable player, ex-Rushden winger Thomas Pedersen, is out injured for this game. Well-rounded Spain striker Jose Zabalza, ex-Rushden players Ronald, David Davidson, Colin Erdogan and Gavin Boyd and Portugal midfielder Nunes all add up to one powerful side. We were missing the four injured players from the previous game, with Uruno and Pál suspended and Gonzalez, Nuno, Zegers, Marsden and Holden unregistered.

Al-Abdullah forced an early save and Spellman hit the side netting as Rushden got off to a bright start. Aros had a 30-yard free kick held, but it was Al-Dossari with the best save so far – keeping out a curling 25-yard effort from Scotland striker David Davidson. Oliva put us in danger by giving the ball up to former team-mate Ronald, and we were saved only by a wild shot from Zabalza. When Jennings gave the ball up left of the area, though, there was no saving us from a sharp cross and strike from Zabalza. 0-1 in the 35th. As if that wasn't bad enough, Spellman decided to kick Davidson in the 59th, and was sent off. Rushden were totally deflated after that, and the final whistle couldn't come quick enough. 0-1 was the final score.

[tenthreeleader]

So close and yet so far. Superb season, though, despite the ending. Thanks as always for a wonderful read. Just a question, though -- do all the big clubs in Europe stock their rosters with ex-Rushden players nowadays?

[Donners]

I think Real Madrid tend to take the most, but Valencia, Man U and Liverpool certainly stock a few. Sorry if that last update was a bit lackluster. I think I was winding down from a big season...

The season in review

Summary

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | ECC   | Rushden       |       | 38    | 30    | 3     | 5     | 84    | 23    | +61   | 93    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | ECC   | Newcastle     |       | 38    | 20    | 10    | 8     | 48    | 24    | +24   | 70    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   | ECC   | Man Utd       |       | 38    | 19    | 10    | 9     | 57    | 39    | +18   | 67    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   | ECC   | Liverpool     |       | 38    | 16    | 13    | 9     | 39    | 33    | +6    | 61    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   | UC    | MK Dons       |       | 38    | 17    | 9     | 12    | 54    | 42    | +12   | 60    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   | ITC   | Barnsley      |       | 38    | 16    | 11    | 11    | 36    | 26    | +10   | 59    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Arsenal       |       | 38    | 17    | 6     | 15    | 47    | 36    | +11   | 57    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | West Ham      |       | 38    | 14    | 15    | 9     | 35    | 31    | +4    | 57    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Leicester     |       | 38    | 15    | 11    | 12    | 39    | 34    | +5    | 56    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Sunderland    |       | 38    | 13    | 12    | 13    | 43    | 42    | +1    | 51    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Middlesbrough |       | 38    | 13    | 9     | 16    | 32    | 35    | -3    | 48    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Chelsea       |       | 38    | 12    | 11    | 15    | 30    | 33    | -3    | 47    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Everton       |       | 38    | 11    | 14    | 13    | 38    | 42    | -4    | 47    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  | UC    | Bolton        |       | 38    | 12    | 10    | 16    | 36    | 46    | -10   | 46    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Wigan         |       | 38    | 9     | 18    | 11    | 25    | 31    | -6    | 45    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Cardiff       |       | 38    | 10    | 12    | 16    | 33    | 54    | -21   | 42    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Huddersfield  |       | 38    | 9     | 9     | 20    | 32    | 55    | -23   | 36    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  | R     | Birmingham    |       | 38    | 8     | 11    | 19    | 39    | 53    | -14   | 35    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  | R     | Leeds         |       | 38    | 7     | 9     | 22    | 26    | 63    | -37   | 30    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  | R     | Aston Villa   |       | 38    | 6     | 9     | 23    | 24    | 55    | -31   | 27    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

| Pkd | Name                | Apps  | Gls   | Ast   | MoM   | Pas   | Tck   | Drb   | Sh T  | Av Rat| 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Abdullah Al-Dossari | 49    | -     | -     | 6     | 56%   | -     | -     | -     | 7.35  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Shuei Uruno         | 41 (1)| 2     | 7     | -     | 75%   | 2.63  | 0.75  | 37%   | 7.19  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | José Antonio Oliva  | 37 (4)| 19    | 11    | 3     | 73%   | 0.16  | 1.64  | 51%   | 7.34  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Attila Pál          | 36 (2)| 5     | 5     | 3     | 76%   | 3.13  | 0.54  | 38%   | 7.45  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Kristian Strand     | 33 (1)| 3     | 7     | 3     | 73%   | 1.41  | 2.91  | 44%   | 7.50  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Alexis Aros         | 33 (1)| 18    | 10    | 11    | 75%   | 1.08  | 1.91  | 50%   | 7.97  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Craig Sinclair      | 33    | -     | 1     | 3     | 67%   | 2.95  | 0.31  | 45%   | 7.67  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Nikolay Romanov     | 31 (4)| -     | -     | 3     | 67%   | 3.92  | 0.55  | -     | 7.31  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Tom Jennings        | 31    | 4     | 9     | 2     | 73%   | 1.71  | 0.62  | 57%   | 7.32  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Sergio Santaella    | 30 (2)| 1     | 9     | 1     | 77%   | 1.75  | 0.61  | 53%   | 7.25  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Rónald Vargas       | 30 (2)| 6     | 6     | 1     | 77%   | 1.04  | 1.95  | 52%   | 7.34  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Alban Nushi         | 29 (3)| 1     | -     | -     | 68%   | 4.23  | 0.38  | -     | 7.25  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Pereira             | 26 (2)| -     | 1     | 1     | 72%   | 3.48  | 0.12  | -     | 7.43  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Yaser Al-Abdullah   | 25 (3)| 14    | 6     | 3     | 70%   | 0.27  | 1.28  | 45%   | 7.18  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Nicky Gardner       | 23 (3)| 3     | 7     | -     | 73%   | 1.52  | 3.17  | 33%   | 7.38  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Sebastián Morales   | 23 (2)| 2     | 8     | 1     | 74%   | 0.99  | 1.85  | 62%   | 7.48  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Fabien Lesage       | 23 (1)| 11    | 12    | 3     | 78%   | 0.89  | 2.44  | 55%   | 7.75  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Dan Spellman        | 21 (4)| 3     | 1     | 1     | 71%   | 2.85  | 0.66  | 53%   | 7.40  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Nuno                | 18 (4)| 18    | 5     | 3     | 71%   | 0.48  | 1.55  | 58%   | 7.41  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Jesús González      | 15 (2)| 2     | 3     | -     | 75%   | 2.81  | 0.63  | 42%   | 7.18  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Richard Nilsen      | 14 (1)| -     | 2     | -     | 76%   | 2.65  | 1.00  | -     | 6.87  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Kim Schouw          | 14    | -     | -     | -     | 56%   | -     | -     | -     | 6.86  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Julian Marsden      | 13 (3)| 4     | 6     | 1     | 69%   | 0.92  | 1.70  | 36%   | 7.31  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Richard Hulshoff    | 12 (7)| 10    | 2     | -     | 70%   | 0.17  | 1.60  | 38%   | 6.89  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Cees Zegers         | 11 (6)| 8     | 3     | -     | 72%   | -     | 1.21  | 65%   | 7.00  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Dominic Holden      | 11 (4)| 3     | 3     | 1     | 74%   | 1.91  | 2.41  | 53%   | 7.20  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Simon Semb          | 10 (4)| 2     | 1     | -     | 60%   | 0.29  | 1.15  | 54%   | 6.93  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | James Gibbs         | 4 (3) | -     | -     | -     | 64%   | 3.07  | 0.58  | -     | 6.86  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Dusan Paunovic      | 2 (1) | -     | -     | -     | 63%   | 0.62  | 0.62  | -     | 7.00  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Samba Fofana        | 2     | -     | -     | -     | 52%   | -     | -     | -     | 6.50  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Junior M'Bami       | 1     | -     | -     | -     | 52%   | -     | -     | -     | 7.00  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -   | Rafael              | 0 (2) | -     | -     | -     | -     | 1.15  | 3.46  | -     | 6.00  | 
| --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Oliva was named PFA Player of the Year, with Oliva, Al-Dossari and Uruno in the Team of the Year. I was Manager of the Year for the fifth time in six seasons. Strand was Champions League Best Player, with Oliva third in the Golden Boot. Spellman, Sinclair, Strand, Al-Dossari and Lesage made the Dream Team.

That was clearly our most dominant season ever. Despite winning four titles in the past, we'd never managed over 79 points in the EPL. This season, we got 93 – and that's with two late losses while playing a second-string side. We also won the FA Cup for the first time, and were just one goal short in the Champions League.

What brought such dominance? I think having a stable side helped. I re-signed most of the key players before last season, and none of the new arrivals played in the regular first team. It was the regular suspects who carried us through. Al-Dossari had his best season, Sinclair stepped up in defence, Pál made the playmaker spot his, Strand came from nowhere to seal a spot, Aros was just awesome (average rating 7.95!) Oliva got 19 goals and Nuno exploded onto the scene.

Even so, it was not a charmed season. Lesage missed half of it with injury, and showed his brilliance when he was in, Al-Abdullah hit bad patches of form and the likes of Sinclair, Nicky Gardner and Spellman missed upwards of two months each.

Ultimately, it was a wonderful season, though we fell short of making it a brilliant one by failing in the Champions League final. If I can keep the players together and happy, perhaps another hat-trick is within reach.

Around the world: major awards and results

Rushden Supporters’ Player of the Year:

Jose Antonio Oliva

World Player of the Year:

Stéphane Bourabia (FC Bayern – formerly of Rushden)

World Footballer of the Year:

Stéphane Bourabia (FC Bayern – formerly of Rushden)

England:

Winner: Rushden \o/

Relegated: Birmingham, Leeds, Aston Villa

Promoted: Tottenham, Crystal Palace, Manchester City

Note that Derby got relegated to League 2

Spain:

Valencia – 6 straight

Italy

Milan [inter were relegated]

Champions League:

Real Madrid

UEFA Cup:

Juventus

[Donners]

The Transfers

Players In

| Date               | Person             | From               | Fee                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.6.2035           | Fofana, Samba      | Galatasaray        | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2035           | De Vito, Davide    | Sevilla            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2035           | Rafael             | Porto              | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2035           | Paunovic, Dusan    | Pescara            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2035           | Hulshoff, Richard  | PSV                | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2035           | Prahl, Fredrik     | Rangers            | £2.6M              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2035           | Anderson           | Fluminense         | £525K              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3.1.2036           | Beale, Alex        | Sporting CP        | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4.2.2036           | Tóth, Lajos        | Fehérvár           | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5.2.2036           | Rexhaj, Bjørn      | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6.3.2036           | Bigné, Yassin      | Baulmes            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total              |                    | £3.1M              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Players Out

| Date               | Person             | To                 | Fee                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13.5.2035          | Pedersen, Jan      | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2035           | Karlsson, Fredrik  | Levante            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2035           | Casey, Sacha       | Rangers            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2035           | Ferrari, Ivan      | Venezia            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2035           | Torres, Rodolfo    | Valladolid         | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2035           | Pedersen, Thomas   | Real Madrid        | £25M               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2035           | Hunakoshi, Hiroki  | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2035           | Reed, Sam          | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2035           | Douglas, Darren    | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2035           | Stokes, Peter      | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2035           | Grant, Lee         | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4.7.2035           | Musolino, Alessio  | AZ                 | £1.8M              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5.7.2035           | Damiano, Luciano   | West Ham           | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5.7.2035           | Jaka, Luis         | Rangers            | £3.3M              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8.7.2035           | Dennis, John       | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8.7.2035           | Danks, John        | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8.7.2035           | Thomson, Andy      | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9.7.2035           | Berg, Erik         | Atlético           | £19.5M             | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15.8.2035          | Longo, Fabio       | Tranmere           | £1.7M              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 23.8.2035          | Savva, Christos    | Cardiff            | £1.7M              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6.1.2036           | Nilsen, Tommy      | Palermo            | £375K              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14.1.2036          | Holmes, Colin      | Inter              | £17.5M             | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 31.1.2036          | Pusnik, Branko     | Mallorca           | £500K              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total              |                    | £71M               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Loans Out

| Date               | Person                   | To                 | Fee                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16.6.2035          | Holm, Inge               | Airdrie Utd        | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19.6.2035          | Hansen, Odd              | Dundee Utd         | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2035          | Henden, Even             | Celtic             | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14.7.2035          | Mínguez, Miguel          | Zaglebie           | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14.7.2035          | Portillo, Juan Francisco | Offenbach          | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16.7.2035          | Ertugrul, Öztonga        | Offenbach          | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17.7.2035          | Genç, Aslan              | Offenbach          | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17.7.2035          | Milojevic, Mario         | Brescia            | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19.7.2035          | Dahl, Torgeir            | Airdrie Utd        | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 26.7.2035          | Zbozinek, Petr           | Celtic             | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 28.7.2035          | Szili, Béla              | Barnsley           | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6.8.2035           | Costi, Marco             | Sheff Wed          | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6.8.2035           | Anderson                 | Dundee Utd         | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6.8.2035           | Larrainzar, Denis        | Tenerife           | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8.8.2035           | De Vito, Davide          | Man City           | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10.8.2035          | Prahl, Fredrik           | Southampton        | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10.8.2035          | Rivers, Ken              | Charlton           | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13.8.2035          | Gibbs, James             | Brentford          | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 26.8.2035          | Lekovic, Nenad           | Zaglebie           | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 31.8.2035          | Mikhailov, Eugeny        | Betis              | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14.10.2035         | Maladenis, Anastasios    | Ipswich            | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 30.1.2036          | Rivers, Ken              | Wycombe            | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12.2.2036          | Hopfer, Michael          | Q.P.R.             | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15.2.2036          | Owen, Danny              | Derby              | Loan               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total                    |                    | £0                 | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Youth In

| Date               | Person             | To                 | Fee                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2035          | Little, Mark       | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2035          | Garner, David      | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2035          | Johnson, Brian     | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2035          | Spencer, John      | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2035          | Williams, Lee      | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2035          | Stewart, Justin    | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2035          | Kirk, Sam          | Rushden            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total              |                    | £0                 | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

This was our quietest transfer season for a while, with the first team pretty well established. As noted, none of the incoming players found a regular role in the side. All four who played were forwards, and Hulshoff was the only one to play more than two games. The others, Fofana, Paunovic and Rafael, are still young, and will get their chance. Late signing Bjorn Rexhaj, who I noticed through my management of Norway, looks very promising.

We earned ₤71M through transfers. The big ones were defender Eric Berg and wingers Thomas Pedersen and Colin Holmes. All went on to play a regular role in their leagues, though weren't really stars. Likewise, Savva played regularly in the EPL without ever being noticed, Karlsson was a good keeper and Rangers got decent service from a couple of players. The biggest star at a new club was actually Ivan Ferrari, with 25 league goals – albeit in Serie B.

Stacks of players went out on loan as usual. Most notable were those at big leagues – Mikhailov scored 13 La Liga goals, Larrainzar nine in the same league, Szili got eight in the EPL and Zbozinek was good in the SPL. The players waiting on work permits all look promising.

Since that ends my 30th season in charge of Rushden, I put together a table of our results in that time. I hope it makes sense!

| Seas  | League  | Pos  | Carling | FA Cup | Champ Lg | UEFA |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 35/36 | Premier | 1st  | Semi F  | WINNER | Runner U | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------|
| 34/35 | Premier | 1st  | R4      | R6     | QF       | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------|
| 33/34 | Premier | 3rd  | QF      | R6     | QF       | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 32/33 | Premier | 1st  | Run Up  | R4     | Semi F   | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 31/32 | Premier | 1st  | Semi F  | R3     | 1KR      | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 30/31 | Premier | 1st  | R4      | R5     | 1KR      | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 29/30 | Premier | 4th  | QF      | R4     | ---      | WIN  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 28/29 | Premier | 7th  | R4      | R3     | QF       | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 27/28 | Premier | 2nd  | R3      | R4     | ---      | 2KR  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 26/27 | Premier | 5th  | Run Up  | R6     | ---      | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 25/26 | Premier | 4th  | R3      | Run Up | ---      | QF   |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 24/25 | Premier | 6th  | R3      | R3     | ---      | SF   |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 23/24 | Premier | 6th  | R4      | R3     | QF       | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 22/23 | Premier | 4th  | QF      | R5     | ---      | QF   |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 21/22 | Premier | 6th  | R3      | Semi F | ---      | QF   |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20/21 | Premier | 5th  | Run Up  | R6     | ---      | QF   |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19/20 | Premier | 8th  | R3      | Semi F | ---      | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18/19 | Champ   | 1st  | R3      | R4     | ---      | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17/18 | Premier | 20th | R2      | R4     | ---      | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16/17 | Champ   | 2nd  | QF      | R5     | ---      | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15/16 | Lg One  | 1st  | R4      | R3     | ---      | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14/15 | Lg One  | 8th  | Semi F  | R5     | ---      | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13/14 | Lg One  | 10th | R2      | R1     | ---      | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12/13 | Champ   | 23rd | R3      | R3     | ---      | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11/12 | Lg One  | 1st  | R3      | R2     | ---      | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10/11 | Lg Two  | 2nd  | R2      | R6     | ---      | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 09/10 | Blue Sq | 1st  | ---     | R1     | ---      | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 08/09 | Blue Sq | 10th | ---     | R1     | ---      | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 07/08 | Blue Sq | 13th | ---     | R1     | ---      | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 06/07 | Blue Sq | 20th | ---     | R1     | ---      | ---  |
| ------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

Pre-season, 36/37

Right winger Nicky Gardner made his début for England in the World Cup qualifiers, joining Spellman and Sinclair in the side.

A rather impressive ₤50M was paid out to shareholders, though we should be able to make that up reasonably quickly with our usual transfer income and relatively low spending.

My big problem was hanging onto our top youngsters. While there were a few players I was willing to let go (mostly strikers), I was very disappointed to have defender Oztonga Ertugrul agree terms with Werder Bremen over us, and particularly annoyed to lose very promising winger Odd Hansen to Milan. I did at least manage to deflect interest for Kristian Strand, though I will no doubt have more bids incoming in the future. Teenage striker Anderson, winger Dominic Holden, right back Evan Henden and Serbia midfielder Nenad Lekovic also got plenty of attention.

There were a lot of players gone when the transfer window opened. Tom Jennings left for Lazio, Bonaventure Sylla to Everton, Marco Costi to Napoli, Danny Owen and Torgeir Dahl to Tottenham, Cees Zegers and Béla Szili to Brescia, Ken Rivers to Burnley, Junior M'Bami to Toluca and the two unfortunate departures mentioned above. I would have also liked to have kept Jennings and Zegers around, but was not willing to pay what they demanded. I did at least manage one sale, and a big one – right back Shuei Uruno to Real Madrid for ₤20M. He was unhappy on his current deal and I have Nilsen and Spellman for the right back position, so I took the money when I could. Just three players came in, two young left backs and a 27-year-old backup keeper.

I finally spent some money, getting England Under-19 defensive midfielder Tom Robson from QPR – only after their board stepped in to accept my ₤1.5M bid. I also spent a bit on cheap players who were recommended by my scouts as prospects.

There were a few staff changes, with long-time physio Eoin Jess – the only person to have been at the club longer than me – retiring, assistant Jean-Paul Fabre walking out and coach Bonaventure Traore stolen by Chelsea. Mainz veteran Rudiger Bruns came in as coach, Italian lower-leaguer Carmine Laurenza as physio and long-time Wigan player Nazzareno Provenzano is my new assistant.

Al-Dossari was third as UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year, the departed Jennings second as Defender of the Year and Aros was Midfielder of the Year.

Massive late bids came in for striker Eugeny Mikhailov - up to ₤19M from Man U. I turned them down and re-signed him for another few seasons. We did, however, lose midfielder Sebastian Morales, who decided to sign for Liverpool when I refused to meet his big wage demands. I ended the pre-season by loaning out striker Denis Larrainzar to Levante.

[Donners]

The Club

Home Ground: Nene Park, Irthlingborough - capacity 46,900

Rivals: Kettering, Northampton (fierce); Peterborough, Oxford, Luton

Reputation: Continental

Estimated Value: ₤146M

Balance ₤842M

Transfer Budget: ₤370M

Media Prediction: 1st

Board Expectation: Win the title

Fan Expectation: Win the title

Staff

Chairman: Ryan Woods

Assistant Manager: Nazzareno Provenzano

Coaches: Wayne Stephenson, Gjoko Andonov, Robert Bicanic, Greg Paterson, Morten Nielsen, Vasily Makarov, Rudiger Bruns, Matteo Pizzi(General);

Physios: Carmine Laurenza, Edson

Scouts: Andy McWilliam, Drew Black, Danny Russell, Martin Kaya, Esteban, Fraser Soutar

The Squad

| Pkd     | Inf     | Name                    | No.     | Squad Status | Cnt     | Weekly wage | Expires   | Value   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| AMC     |         | Alexis Aros             | 15      | Key Player   | F/T     | £68,000     | 30.6.2037 | £11.5M  | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC      | Wnt     | Fabien Lesage           | 10      | Key Player   | F/T     | £57,000     | 30.6.2039 | £21M    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC      |         | Pereira                 | 13      | First Team   | F/T     | £32,000     | 30.6.2037 | £10M    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S3      | Wnt     | Rónald Vargas           | 23      | First Team   | F/T     | £33,500     | 30.6.2038 | £14.25M | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| GK      |         | Abdullah Al-Dossari     | 1       | First Team   | F/T     | £19,250     | 30.6.2038 | £11.75M | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC      |         | José Antonio Oliva      | 18      | First Team   | F/T     | £45,000     | 30.6.2039 | £12.5M  | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC      | Wnt     | Craig Sinclair          | 6       | First Team   | F/T     | £19,250     | 30.6.2039 | £14.25M | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       |         | Inanç Mete              | 33      | Rotation     | F/T     | £7,250      | 30.6.2039 | £2.2M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Bid     | Yaser Al-Abdullah       | 11      | Rotation     | F/T     | £11,000     | 30.6.2037 | £10M    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DL      | Wnt     | Sergio Santaella        | 36      | Rotation     | F/T     | £11,750     | 30.6.2037 | £7M     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       |         | Alban Nushi             | 27      | Rotation     | F/T     | £12,250     | 30.6.2037 | £5.5M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MR      | Wnt     | Nicky Gardner           | 31      | Rotation     | F/T     | £15,000     | 30.6.2038 | £12.5M  | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DR      |         | Dan Spellman            | 4       | Rotation     | F/T     | £25,500     | 30.6.2039 | £8M     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S5      |         | Nuno                    | 39      | Rotation     | F/T     | £2,800      | 30.6.2038 | £8.25M  | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MC      | Wnt     | Attila Pál              | 37      | Rotation     | F/T     | £3,600      | 30.6.2038 | £12M    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Dominic Holden          | 19      | Rotation     | F/T     | £10,000     | 30.6.2038 | £4.8M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Dusan Paunovic          | 26      | Rotation     | F/T     | £7,000      | 30.6.2037 | £8.5M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Jesús González          | 32      | Rotation     | F/T     | £6,750      | 30.6.2037 | £5.5M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Samba Fofana            | 21      | Rotation     | F/T     | £11,000     | 30.6.2038 | £5.75M  | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S2      | Wnt     | Richard Nilsen          | 8       | Rotation     | F/T     | £7,000      | 30.6.2037 | £3.7M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| ML      | Wnt     | Kristian Strand         | 30      | Rotation     | F/T     | £1,000      | 30.6.2038 | £8.75M  | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Petr Zbozinek           | -       | Backup       | F/T     | £11,500     | 30.6.2037 | £3.3M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S4      | Wnt     | Julian Marsden          | 16      | Backup       | F/T     | £19,000     | 30.6.2038 | £4.7M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Richard Hulshoff        | 20      | Backup       | F/T     | £25,500     | 30.6.2038 | £5M     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Kim Schouw              | 35      | Backup       | F/T     | £5,500      | 30.6.2038 | £2.1M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S1      | Unh     | Nikolay Romanov         | 28      | Backup       | F/T     | £6,000      | 30.6.2037 | £6.25M  | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Denis Larrainzar        | 29      | Backup       | F/T     | £11,750     | 30.6.2037 | £6M     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Bid     | Eugeny Mikhailov        | 9       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £11,000     | 30.6.2039 | £12M    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wp      | Nenad Lekovic           | -       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £6,250      | 30.6.2037 | £5M     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Loa     | Rafael                  | 41      | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £7,750      | 30.6.2037 | £3.5M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Int     | Aslan Genç              | -       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £3,000      | 30.6.2039 | £1.4M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Mario Milojevic         | -       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £750        | 30.6.2038 | £2.6M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Inj     | Davide De Vito          | -       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £1,700      | 30.6.2037 | £2.3M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Anderson                | -       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £2,600      | 30.6.2039 | £5.5M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | James Gibbs             | 17      | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £525        | 30.6.2037 | £3.1M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Anastasios Maladenis    | -       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £500        | 30.6.2037 | £1.6M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wp      | Wisam Saad              | -       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £500        | 30.6.2039 | £85K    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Fredrik Prahl           | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £2,400      | 30.6.2038 | £3.2M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Inj     | Michael Hopfer          | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £850        | 30.6.2037 | £3.7M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Bid     | Even Henden             | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £1,000      | 30.6.2037 | £1.8M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Inge Holm               | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £1,500      | 30.6.2037 | £2.5M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Tom Robson              | 25      | Youngster    | F/T     | £2,000      | 30.6.2039 | £1.5M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Loa     | Dennis de Haan          | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £3,500      | 30.6.2039 | £1.5M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Antonio Gandía          | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £1,500      | 30.6.2039 | £500K   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Bjørn Rexhaj            | 40      | Youngster    | F/T     | £975        | 30.6.2038 | £2.9M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Loa     | Marat Averjanov         | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £275        | 30.6.2037 | £500K   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Loa     | Eddie Gray              | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £350        | 30.6.2038 | £825K   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Loa     | Alexis Carril           | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £275        | 30.6.2037 | £625K   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Inj     | Luke Wheeldon           | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £275        | 30.6.2037 | £1.8M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Inj     | Lee Barnett             | -       | Youngster    | Yth     | £110        | 30.6.2037 | -       | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Yth     | Lee Morgan              | -       | Youngster    | Yth     | £100        | 30.6.2037 | -       | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wp      | Juan Francisco Portillo | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £1,200      | 30.6.2037 | £2.3M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Bid     | Mark Little             | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £300        | 30.6.2038 | £500K   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Nikos Skouras           | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £525        | 30.6.2038 | £1.7M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Lajos Tóth              | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £400        | 30.6.2038 | £1.9M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Loa     | Alex Beale              | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £1,100      | 30.6.2038 | £2.3M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Yassin Bigné            | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £375        | 30.6.2039 | £1.5M   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Loa     | Thorbjørn Sødahl        | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £800        | 30.6.2039 | £35K    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wp      | Miguel Mínguez          | -       | Not Needed   | F/T     | £700        | 30.6.2037 | £2M     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Wage Budget: £5,002,078

Total Weekly Wages at 10/8/36: £525,009

Senior Players:

Reserve Players:

U-18 Players: 13

[Note that players classed as Backup, Prospect or Youngster will not be profiled (with a few exceptions), and are regarded as reserve players]

Player [Pos, Nationality, Height, Age] – Rushden Seasons, Rushden League Games, Rushden League Goals

Goalkeepers

Abdullah Al-Dossari [GK, SAU – 33 Caps, 183cm, 28] – 6, 119, 0

Had his best season in a pretty good Rushden career, playing 30 league games and keeping clean sheets in more than half of him to be named the best of the EPL for the second year running. He has a bit more support now but will still clearly be the first choice.

Champions League Dream Team 33/34, 35/36; Premier League Team of the Season 34/35, 35/36; UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year third placed 2036

Aslan Genç [GK, TUR – 1 Cap, 176cm, 22] – 3, 0, 0

Earned a work permit after three seasons out on loan at Offenbach. He is a well-rounded keeper with fantastic athleticism, though unfortunately he does not know how to speak English due to being out on loan for his time signed to Rushden.

Inanç Mete [GK, TUR – 6 U21 caps, 185cm, 27] – 0, 0, 0

A very talented player signed from Gaziantepspor, Mete is a more solid and reliable backup than Schouw. He will rotate through the side.

Kim Schouw [GK, DEN – 8 U21 caps, 179cm, 26] – 6, 19, 0

Was unfortunately not too impressive when given a go in the league, though he kept clean sheets in five of eight games. He looks better on paper than he plays, and is now the third choice.

Defenders

James Gibbs [D C/DM, ENG – 5 U21 caps, 181cm, 20] – 3, 5, 0

Returned from a decent spell in the Championship to play a few senior games late in the season. He was not particularly impressive, but will be given time to continue to develop.

Even Henden [D R, NOR – 2 U21 caps, 174cm, 21] – 1, 0, 0

One of many young Norwegians added to the squad, Henden is attracting bids as high as ₤7.5M after only one season at the club. He will likely be loaned out this year, but is one to watch.

Richard Nilsen [D/Wb R, NOR – 13 U21 caps, 175cm, 22] – 5, 25, 0

Coming off a bad season, though he no longer has Uruno in front of him at right back. I think I would rather use Spellman for now, but Nilsen has the ability to justify a role. He just needs the performance to match.

Premier League Young Player of the Month September 2034

Alban Nushi [D C, ALB – 21 Caps, 181cm, 24] – 4, 57, 1

Has never really been a stand-out player, and with big wages demands, this could be his last season. For the moment, he's a useful rotational player in defence.

Premier League Young Player of the Month February 2033, September 2033

Pereira [D C, BRA – 48 Caps, 181cm, 32] – 2, 44, 0

Paid back his new contract with a solid season. He's a good defender, though winding down his career.

UEFA Defender of the Year runner up 2026

Nikolay Romanov [D C/DM, KAZ – 34 Caps, 180cm, 25] – 4, 37, 0

Was not as impressive as in 34/35, though he did play a regular role in the side with Berg gone. He's got a good mix of attributes and is a handy player.

Sergio Santaella [D/Wb/M L, ESP – 5 Caps, 183cm, 24] – 2, 42, 0

Now capped for his country, and a very solid part of our back four. He really does have the skill to be a good left winger, and could well be a future leader of the club. A very handy player, and one of many who needs to be re-signed, especially with Jennings gone.

Craig Sinclair [D C, ENG – 8 Caps, 180cm, 22] – 3, 53, 0

Continued to he hit by injury, but he is just so good that I can live with missing him for a few months because he plays so well when he's in. He's one of our few player signed up for the long-term, which is reassuring.

Premier League Young Player of the Month January 2034, February 2034; Champions League Best Player 2034, Champions League Dream Team 33/34, 35/36

Dan Spellman [D/M RC, ENG – 29 Caps, 179cm, 23] – 5, 100, 2

Spellman spent quite a lot of time on the sidelines for a player who had just signed an expensive new deal. With Uruno and Morales gone, he has a big role to play on the right side of the pitch and must step up.

Premier League Young Player of the Month October 2031, August 2032, September 2032; PFA Young Player of the Year runner-up 2033, 2034; Champions League Dream Team 32/33, 35/36; Champions League Best Player 2033

Midfielders

Alexis Aros [AM C, CHI – 54 Caps, 180cm, 33] – 8, 188, 79

The legend. Named Midfielder of the Year at the age of 33, Aros had one of his best seasons at the club, with an astonishing average rating of 7.95 in the league. He is signed to the end of this season, and should get another contract at the end.

UEFA Midfielder of the Year 2029, 2033, 2035, 2036, runner-up 2030, third-placed 2032; Rushden Supporters' Player of the Year 29/30, 30/31, 32/33; Premier League Team of the Season 29/30, 30/31, 32/33; Premier League Golden Boot third placed 32/33; English PFA Player of the Year 2030, 2031, 2033; Champions League Dream Team 30/31, 32/33, 34/35; Champions League Best Player 34/35, runner-up 32/33; Copa America Dream Team 2031; Premier League Player of the Month August 2030, December 2030, January 2031, February 2032, December 2032, January 2033, February 2035, January 2036, March 2036;

#2 most Rushden Man of the Match awards; #1 most Rushden assists, #2 best Rushden average rating, #4 most Rushden games, #1 most Rushden goals

Nicky Gardner [AM R, ENG – 6 Caps, 181cm, 23] – 5, 14, 0

Not only did he made his way into the side, he made his England début at the end of the season. With Morales gone, there's certainly a role for him to play on the right wing, and his pace and skill should serve us well.

SPL Young Player of the Month August 2032, April 2033; SPL Team of the Year 32/33; Premier League Young Player of the Month August 2034

Jesus González [AM C, VEN – 30 Caps, 178cm, 24] – 3, 54, 5

Slipped out of the side as Pál took over central midfield. He has stopped demanding a new contract at least, though his wage expectations mean this will likely be his final season at Rushden.

Dominic Holden [AM L, ENG – 6 U21 caps, 182cm, 22] – 4, 9, 1

Was outshone last season by Strand, and will have a battle on his hand to take the left wing position. With so much competition, he will likely only have a backup role.

SPL Young Player of the Month February 2033, December 2033, January 2034; Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year runner-up 2034; Premier League Young Player of the Month October 2034, December 2034, March 2035; English PFA Young Player of the Year 2035

Fabien Lesage [AM/F C, ALG – 39 Caps, 178cm, 26] – 5, 89, 32

Missed most of last season through injury, yet was absolutely deadly when he was in (average rating of 8 in the league). With Aros nearing the end, this is a real chance to take over.

Premier League Young Player of the Month September 2031; Premier League Player of the Month December 2035; Champions League Dream Team 35/36

Julian Marsden [AM RC, IRE – 28 Caps, 181cm, 27] – 5, 84, 12

Did not play a lot last season, though he did well when he was in. His leadership and talent is useful to have around.

SPL Division One Young Player of the Month August 2029, January 2030, February 2030, April 2030; SPL Division One Young Player of the Year 2030; SPL Division One Team of the Year 29/30; SPL Young Player of the Month September 2030, November 2030, December 2030, April 2031; SPL Young Player of the Year 2031; SPL Team of the Year 30/31; Champions League Dream Team 32/33

Attila Pál [DM, HUN – 13 Caps, 182cm, 24] – 5, 34, 4

Quite good last season, taking over the central midfielder role. Curiously, despite good passing skill, he did not set up a single goal in 21 league games. However, he played more of a defensive role, and did this well. Another big season is ahead.

Tom Robson [DM, ENG – capped at U19 level, 179cm, 19] – 0, 0, 0

My only purchase of significance this season. He has similar skill to Pál and will be given time to develop.

Kristian Strand [AM L, NOR – 2 Caps, 184cm, 21] – 3, 19, 1

Just fantastic last season, holding down the left wing and proving to be a constant threat. With excellent pace and passing ability, his only downside is a lack of shooting ability.

SPL Young Player of the Month October 2034, November 2034; Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year 2035; SPL Team of the Year 34/35; Premier League Young Player of the Month December 2035; Champions League Dream Team 35/36

Ronald Vargas [AM LC, COS – 67 Caps, 173cm, 29] – 6, 113, 11

Continued to play a solid, regular role in the senior side. He's very useful as a backup attacking midfielder with his scoring ability, whether in close or from long range, and is signed until 2038.

Champions League Dream Team 32/33, 33/34

Petr Zbozinek [DM/AM RC, CZE – 25 Caps, 180cm, 27] – 3, 18, 1

Returns from a season on loan at Celtic. He is a versatile player with good ball skill who will only come up if we're hit by a few injuries.

Forwards

Yaser Al-Abdullah [sT, SAU – 7 Caps, 177cm, 27] – 7, 43, 21

Was a little troubling last season, wasting a lot of chances. He has the skill to be a really good player, and has scored regularly for us, but it feels like he should do more. I will try to sell him this season before his contract expires.

Anderson [sT, ITA – 2 U21 caps, 176cm, 19] – 1, 0, 0

Scored regularly in the SPL last season and is attracting a lot of interest. Good thing I have him signed up for a while. I may keep him around this season.

SPL Young Player of the Month February 2036; Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year 2036

Samba Fofana [sT, MAL – 31 Caps, 177cm, 24] – 1, 2, 0

Attracted some big bids despite a poor season for Rushden. He looks exceptionally talented, especially in the air, and must take a step up this season.

Richard Hulshoff [AM L/ST, HOL – 8 Caps, 177cm, 27] – 1, 11, 6

Was nearly sold at the start of the season, but scored enough goals last year to justify keeping him around. He's a decent poacher with good skills, though lacking something special to make him a regular.

Eugeny Mikhailov [sT, RUS – 2 Caps, 181cm, 23] – 3, 2, 0

Valued at a massive amount and scored 13 goals in La Liga last season, yet he really doesn't look that impressive. I re-signed him and turned down some huge bids, so he has a chance to prove that price tag is justified.

Nuno [sT, POR – 4 Caps, 180cm, 24] – 5, 17, 8

Scored at an incredible rate when he broke into the side late in the season, and will now be considered a regular part of the team. It'll be hard to match a strike rate of 18 goals in 22 games, but anything close to that would be very useful.

José Antonio Oliva [AM/F C, ESP – 18 Caps, 182cm, 25] – 6, 79, 43

Re-signed against my expectations, and went on to be named Fans' Player of the Year (though Aros was surely robbed). He's a regular scorer and causes trouble for the best defences, which makes him a valuable player.

English PFA Player of the Year 2036, runner-up 2035; Premier League Golden Boot equal winner 34/35; Premier League Team of the Season 34/35, 35/36; Champions League Dream Team 34/35, 35/36; Champions League Golden Boot 34/35; Supporters Player of the Year 34/35, 35/36

Dusan Paunovic [F C, SER – 5 Caps, 182cm, 22] – 1, 0, 0

Did not do much last season, and will likely get upset if he is left on the sidelines for too long. I will look for a sale, since I may have trouble re-signing him.

Rafael [sT, POR – 13 U21 caps, 176cm, 21] – 1, 1, 0

The pacey striker earned a début late in the season with good reserve form, though he has a long way to go to become a regular.

Bjørn Rexhaj [sT, NOR – 2 U21 caps, 174cm, 19] – 0, 0, 0

A very promising player spotted through my international management, Rexhaj is a talented striker who had a lot of promise.

Overview

We've lost a few senior players this season, and it will be up to existing squad members to step up to fill their losses.

Goalkeeping: Improved now, with extra backup for the excellent Al-Dossari. No problems here.

Defence: Decent at centre back, though Pereira is nearing the end and Nushi has not impressed. Full back is a real problem, with the first choice right back and rotational left back gone. I'm not sure I can cover the left.

Midfield: Still terrific, and the loss of Morales should not be noticed. Can Aros be as good again this season?

Forward: Lots of options, and Nuno is now pressing for a regular role.

First XI

I'm sticking with the same formation, which has worked well enough.

GK: Abdullah Al-Dossari

RB: Dan Spellman

LB: Sergio Santaella

CB: Pereira

CB: Craig Sinclair

RM: Nicky Gardner

LM: Kristian Strand

CM: Attila Pal

AM: Alexis Aros

CF: Jose Antonio Oliva

CF: Fabien Lesage

Sub: Nikolai Romanov

Sub: Ronald Vargas

Sub: Richard Nilsen

Sub: Nuno

Sub: Julian Marsden

Captain: Abdullah Al-Dossari, Pereira

Penalties: Alexis Aros, Petr Zbozinek, Sergio Santaella

Free Kicks: (L) Kristian Strand, Dominic Holden; ® Alexis Aros, Craig Sinclair

Corners: (L) Sergio Santaella, Richard Hulshoff; ® Pereira, Alban Nushi

Throw Ins: (L) Sergio Santaella, Kristian Strand; ® Richard Nilsen, Nicky Gardner

Playmaker: Alexis Aros, Fabien Lesage

Target Man: Craig Sinclair, Pereira

[Donners]

August, 2036

Newcastle, Charity Shield, Neutral

Newcastle were runners-up in the league and lost the Carling Cup final, so they are certainly thereabouts. They had two losses of significance, striker Chris Preston (₤9M to Chelsea) and left winger Mohammad Shatila (₤11.75M to Pumas), but with England forward Alan Marney (₤11.5M from Birmingham), Scotland left back Nikki Wood and teenage forward Scott Hunter (₤8.5M and ₤3.7M respectively, from Chelsea) and Norway left winger Kjetil Nilsen (₤4.8M from Lazio) coming in, they have a strong squad.

There were no new faces in the Rushden side, and the cohesion showed with Oliva set up by a good team move to score in just the 8th minute. Lesage missed one shot after intercepting a pass, but went on to score in the 34th after a good run. Just after half time, Pál set up Oliva for his second, and our third. Newcastle were unlucky, hitting the bar with one shot and having a goal ruled out. Ultimately, though, we made our chances count, and walked away 3-0 winners.

Wigan, Premier League, Away

Wigan have somehow survived despite finishing in the bottom six for the past five seasons. Their squad is not any better than last year, losing regular defender Steven Powell (free to Barnsley), defensive midfielder Giuseppe Fiorentini (free to Ipswich), Ireland winger Roger Hall (free to Cardiff) and midfielder Tom Collins (₤1.8M to Doncaster). Their only purchase was attacking midfielder Pedro Saenz (₤1.9M from Tenerife) and they loaned right wingers Steve Newton and Jack Walsh from Northampton and Norwich.

Al-Dossari had to make the first two saves of the game before we got into stride. An excellent run from Oliva took him past a defender and led to a pass to Spellman, with the right back scoring in the 26th. Man of the Match Pereira worked hard in defence to keep out Wigan captain Daniel Morley, who still managed to test Al-Dossari a few times. Aros and Lesage kept the pressure on as we won the first league game of the season.

I loaned out Richard Hulshoff, deciding not to pay his big wages when he was only a backup. We have a lot of options for the striker role, and Eugeny Mikhailov will get the first chance.

Sunderland, Premier League, Away

Back-to-back title winners less than a decade ago, Sunderland have finished 12th and 10th in the last two seasons. They cleared out quite a few younger players to Championship sides and finally released Scotland defender Jack Oates at the age of 36. Backup keeper Tommy Beattie went to Chelsea for ₤2M and young defender Matthew Marshall to Portsmouth for ₤2.1M. In came former England striker Glenn Kerr (free from Man City), Colombia defender Raul Marino (free from Reading), Scotland defender Scott McDonald (₤950K from Chelsea) and Man City utility Kane Reddington (₤3.2M). Milan striker Er Serkan is on loan..

Aros took a free kick in the second minute. He flicked it to Pál, who was still outside the area. With a terrific curling strike, he found the top corner for an early Rushden lead. Veteran Spain striker Denis Arregi had the only other two shots for the half, with one going over and the other dealt with by Al-Dossari. It really was a very quiet game with few chances, which made it all the more surprising when former Rushden striker Lasse Jensen, a substitute, put in a goal from a cross with just three minutes to go. Pál had a go from long range a minute later, and though he was accurate, it didn't beat the keeper. 1-1, and Aros was put out for a month with a gashed leg.

Manchester United, Premier League, Home

Third last season, United haven't left the top four for five years. Their departures were highlighted by right winger Daniel Bosschaart (₤20.5M to Atlético), along with fellow right winger Enrico Fortugno (₤3.1M to Betis) and Saudi right back Fahad Al-Dossary (₤2.5M to Palermo). They spent a fair bit more than that, with Brazil right winger Luciano (₤18.75M from Roma), Serbia defender Slavomir Nikitovic (₤13M from FC Köln), Tunisia midfielder Mehdi Azaiez (₤8.75M from Panathinaikos), defender Serkan van den Hoogenband (₤7M from Porto) and Portugal right winger Edgar (₤5M from Boavista) all added. With Aros out, Lesage took his attacking midfield spot and Mikhailov took over as partner for Oliva.

Just like in many of our encounters last season, it was former Rushden striker Ibrahim Tolba who scored, putting United into a 10th minute lead. Pál's attempt at an immediate comeback from a free was denied by a good save from veteran Antony Canoville. Undeterred, Pál set up Lesage just two minutes later, and with a low drive, he levelled the scores. Another free kick from Pál and a chip from Mikhailov kept Canoville on the back foot, and when Mikhailov had a shot parried just on half time, partner Oliva was there to finish and put us ahead. Lesage had his shirt tugged as he raced into the area in the 48th, earning a penalty and the dismissal of his opponent. In the absence of Aros, Santaella took the spot kick, and made no mistake. Another red card, this time for a second yellow, brought United down to nine men, and left us with a pretty easy task of holding the 3-1 lead. Mikhailov was impressive with five on-target shots, and Lesage took over from Aros to win the Man of the Match award.

[Donners]

Work is taking me away from home for the next five weeks, so I will only be able to post updates on the weekend during this period.

September, 2036

Cardiff, Premier League, Home

Much like Wigan, Cardiff have been the bottom six places for several seasons. They did not sell any players between seasons, losing midfielder Marcus Lindhom to Villarreal for free and releasing 37-year-old Egypt defender Gamal Shokry. They have tried to improve their squad with Ireland right winger Roger Hall (free from Wigan), Macedonian left winger Dejan Nedeljkovic (₤1.4M from Sheffield Wednesday) and Danish defender Mathias Hammer (₤1.5M from Fiorentina). They've loaned in Birmingham's Ireland midfielder Simon Mitchell and Chelsea left winger Peter McIntosh. Backup keeper Mete made his Rushden début.

Former Rushden keeper Kenneth Bergseth was made to work by Oliva, then beaten by a powerful free from defender Craig Sinclair. Another free from Holden later in the half was saved, and strike partners Oliva and Mikhailov were unable to break through. Mete made his first save in the 55th, keeping out one-time Norway striker Trond Ringstad and at the other end, Nuno, who has had a disappointing start to this season, scored to make it 2-0. A comfortable win.

Napoli, UEFA Champions League, Group F, Away

Napoli were third in Serie A last season, and possess a pretty good squad which includes Swiss midfielder Bruno Schlegel, Argentina midfielder Daniel Vilar and Columbia striker Jonay Busquets. I was hit with a bit of a problem – Al-Dossari was on international duty, and apparently I didn't register a backup keeper. It was therefore left to 18-year-old youth keeper Lee Morgan to make his début.

Fortunately for Morgan, Rushden had most of the play. Holden should have scored at least twice in the first twenty minutes but he managed to hook a high pass in for Pál to head us into the lead just before half time. Napoli looked to have levelled the scores in the 65th, only for their ostensible goal to be ruled offside. It certainly would have been unfair for Rushden to be denied the three points, and with Morgan comfortably saving a late shot, we held on to win. With 16 shots to two, we certainly should have.

Leicester, Premier League, Away

Leicester have scraped into the top half for the last few seasons. Nonetheless, they were involved in significant transfers at the start of this season. Young midfielder Kenny Stewart went to Arsenal for ₤13M, while Middlesbrough bought former Rushden midfielder Ken Walton (₤6M) and Scotland midfielder Steven Smith (₤4.3M). They also lost Norway striker Sivert Stromme to Juventus for free. Coming in were Northern Ireland left winger David Burns (free from Dundee), Russia defender Denis Streltsov (₤6.5M from Reading) and Chelsea playmaker Liam Allen (₤9.25M). Mete came in for his second game.

Mikhailov forced a save in the opening minute, while Mete had to work to keep out former Rushden midfielder Nicola Placidi. That really was it for the first half, and the second opened with the same two having on-target shots for the same result. Aside from a late free from Sinclair being saved, there were just no stand-out chances, and it's no surprise the game ended scoreless.

Huddersfield, Premier League, Home

Huddersfield survived their first season in the top flight for 50 years by the barest of margins, and are expected to be relegated this season. They released veteran full back Nick Kay and brought in ten players for a total of just ₤900K. The highlights of the many free transfers include Leeds midfielder James Robson, Nigeria left back Foster Igwe (Rangers), Dortmund winger Savino Bressan, Austria defensive midfielder Mario Lentsch (from Salzburg, formerly of Rushden) and Celtic forward Alan Gray. Czech right back Michal Chalupa was bought from Olympiakos for ₤675K.

Mikhailov and Lesage were denied by early saves, and Oliva somehow managed to have three shots in a row kept out by the keeper. It took centre back Craig Sinclair to show the strikers how it was done, scoring in the 30th. Vargas came off the bench at half time due to Lesage picking up a knock, and within 45 seconds he conceded a free which saw Huddersfield level the score. At last, Eugeny Mikhailov came through with his first goal for the club, restoring the lead in the 52nd. Al-Dossari did well to keep out an equaliser, which opened the door for Mikhailov to seal the win with our third a few minutes later. Aros came off the bench for the final half hour just to keep the pressure on. 3-1, which is no less than we deserved after having 21 shots to 4.

Levski (Sofia), UEFA Champions League, Group F, Home

A weak Bulgarian opponent for our second game in the Champions League group stage. They did actually make it past this point in 21/22 and 22/23 – making the semi final in the first case – but offer little this season. Al-Dossari was available for this game, so we went out full-strength.

The tone was set pretty early, with Sinclair scoring from a free in the fourth minute. Nuno headed in a cross from Gardner for number two, and then he set up Mikhailov just a minute later. 3-0 in the 14th. Nuno hit the bar in the 25th, then partner Mikhailov scored again two minutes later. The Russian completed his hat-trick with another header in the 29th, for a 5-0 lead. We took it easy in the second half, though Sofia had a player sent off. Mikhailov capped his arrival as a first team player with a fourth goal in injury time. Al-Abdullah returned from a back injury late in the game.

MK Dons, Premier League, Away

Dons flew out of nowhere to finish fifth in the league last season. They lost one of their key players in that success, England midfielder Chris Gibb (₤16.25M to Sevilla), as well as former Rushden midfielder Dimitar Dimitrov (₤3.5M to Celtic) and yet another midfielder, Laurens Janssen (₤3.4M to Aston Villa). Also going were forward Robert Olsen (free to Brescia) and key Finland defender Filip Arvidsson (free to Lazio). Those were pretty big losses, yet they made only a few signings. They spent ₤3M on Spain centre back David Urrutia (Arsenal), ₤8M on Bolton centre back Steve McDermott and snapped up Ivory Coast right back Daniel Kouame (free from Auxerre) and right winger David Espejo (free from Sevilla). Norway striker Ole-Kristian Dahlen was good last season, but has lost his spot in my Norway side and is struggling for Dons.

The negative to come from the game was the news that Ronald Vargas will miss two months with fractured ribs. Petr Zbozinek will come up from the reserves to replace him.

[Donners]

October, 2036

Barnsley, Premier League, Away

Barnsley had their best finish in a long time, 6th place. Uncapped Dutch striker Frank de Jager was a regular scorer, and keeper Simone Mason was hard to beat. They lost Scotland right winger Scott Mohan (free to Everton) and veteran midfielder Juan Rivas (₤250K to Portsmouth). They certainly improved their squad overall though, adding Romania right back Marinel Popa (free from Celtic), utility Stephen Powell (free from Wigan), striker Jesus Redondo (₤1.6M from Deportivo) and Belarus striker Kacper Brox (₤3.4M from Barcelona). Petr Zbozinek got a rare run for Rushden

A pretty even first half saw few chances, with Mason keeping out Nuno twice. Rushden had the best of the second half, with Oliva and Zbozinek denied by Mason. Though Barnsley rarely threatened, we did not have many shots and those that we did have were saved. A scoreless draw.

Club Brugge, UEFA Champions League, Group F, Away

Club Brugge don't have a great history in this competition and their only really decent player is defender Jamie Olguin. We faced substantial selection problems for this game. Mete, Gonzalez, Romanov and Vargas were injured, Spellman suspended, Marsden and Zbozinek ineligible and Aros, Pereira and Al-Abdullah on international duty. Lee Morgan again came in as keeper, and though the first XI was familiar (albeit not the best side), the bench featured the likes of Gibbs, Anderson, Little and Robson.

Holden missed two shots in the first six minute, while Lesage and Oliva were denied by keeper Alexandr Parakhin. Oliva finally broke the deadlock in the 32nd, though with seven shots for the half, he could have had a hat-trick by the break. Club Brugge hit back with their first real chance just after half time. It was not until our 24th shot that we managed to score again – Oliva doing the job with his second. He was denied a hat-trick with a header hitting the post in the final minutes. A dozen shots for the striker alone, with 29 in total. It was absolute domination for a tight win.

Arsenal, Premier League, Home

Arsenal were seventh last season, which prompted the firing of manager Peter Williams, with youth coach Carlos Newton taking over. He evidently has no problem with spending money, with ₤100M spent on new faces. This is made even more remarkable when it is considered that their only major sale was Spain defender David Urrutia to MK Dons for ₤3M. They also lost 39-year-old former Italy keeper Maurizio Gamba to Dortmund for free and released 33-year-old former Spain forward Marc Vasquez, who scored just 19 league goals since his ₤52M transfer.

Crystal Palace, Carling Cup 3rd round, Home

We drew a fellow EPL side for our first Carling Cup game. They are newly promoted, back up for the first time since 2014. The oddly named Heather Gibbs is their highest-valued player, but the striker hasn't scored in 11 games. Wales forward Barry Young is also struggling, and their ₤6M worth of new signings, including Belgium right winger Bernard Guichard (₤2M from Hearts) and left winger Nikos Availiotis (₤1.8M from Aberdeen) have done little.

Though we lost Oliva early to a knock, Gardner headed an attempted clearance back for partner Lesage to score in the 19th. Al-Abdullah, who is still struggling to regain fitness after missing the pre-season, came on for Oliva and scored our second after an excellent run and pass from Lesage. Al-Dossari was only challenged once for the entire game, and Craig Sinclair capped off our win with a headed goal in the second half. 3-0.

Bolton, Premier League, Away

Bolton were 14th last season, despite a fine year from Australian (and former Rushden) striker Mark Hayward. They sold defender Steve McDermott (to MK Dons for ₤8M) and Bulgaria defender Mario Georgiev (Crystal Palace for ₤650K), with Iran right winger Amir Ebrahimi joining Paris-SG on a free transfer. Their signings were minimal, and highlight the weak state of their squad. That is particularly evident with 39-year-old Belgian keeper Nicolas Saunier joining from Real Madrid for ₤85K. They also managed to get two midfielders, Gary Durie (Hearts) and Michael Elam (Aberdeen) for free, while spending ₤3.3M on Slovenia defender Ales Markovic (Inter) and ₤2.3M on former Rushden defender Anders Hopfner (Chelsea).

Dominic Holden had a free from the edge of the area kept out by a diving save, but it really was Bolton with the best opportunities. Their first goal was delayed only by poor shooting, and it was no surprise when Scotland midfielder Marco Fox scored in the 24th. Though Oliva missed and Nuno had a shot saved, unfavoured midfielder Petr Zbozinek scored with a ripping long range effort just before half time. The balance shifted markedly in the second half, with Rushden clearly on top. However, with Aros missing, a Pereira free saved and Nuno carded for a dive and then unable to beat the keeper, we were having a frustrating time. Nuno, Spellman and Santaella all managed to have shots saved within a minute before we finally earned a free. Aros took the kick, and with the aid of a deflection off the wall, he scored a long overdue goal. However, Bolton took only a few minutes to hit back, and it was level again in the 84th. Having had to work so hard for a second, we could not get a third, despite 19 shots for the game.

Club Brugge, UEFA Champions League, Group F, Home

We are already five points clear on top after three games, and beat this side 2-1 away previously. The only acknowledgement of this that I made was bringing in Brazilian Anderson to partner Nuno. Gardner poached a goal when Pál had a shot saved and though the best Anderson could manage was a shot that hit the post, substitute Mikhailov managed to score our second form the rebound. A comfortable win.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team           |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Rushden        |       | 10    | 6     | 4     | 0     | 18    | 7     | +11   | 22    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Arsenal        |       | 11    | 7     | 1     | 3     | 15    | 10    | +5    | 22    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | West Ham       |       | 11    | 5     | 5     | 1     | 12    | 9     | +3    | 20    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Sunderland     |       | 12    | 5     | 4     | 3     | 13    | 8     | +5    | 19    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Liverpool      |       | 10    | 5     | 3     | 2     | 14    | 7     | +7    | 18    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Newcastle      |       | 11    | 5     | 2     | 4     | 14    | 8     | +6    | 17    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Barnsley       |       | 11    | 5     | 2     | 4     | 7     | 5     | +2    | 17    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Man Utd        |       | 10    | 4     | 4     | 2     | 15    | 9     | +6    | 16    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | MK Dons        |       | 12    | 4     | 4     | 4     | 14    | 15    | -1    | 16    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Cardiff        |       | 11    | 4     | 3     | 4     | 7     | 8     | -1    | 15    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Bolton         |       | 11    | 3     | 5     | 3     | 10    | 9     | +1    | 14    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Man City       |       | 11    | 4     | 2     | 5     | 11    | 12    | -1    | 14    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Tottenham      |       | 11    | 3     | 5     | 3     | 9     | 10    | -1    | 14    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Leicester      |       | 10    | 3     | 4     | 3     | 10    | 10    | 0     | 13    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Middlesbrough  |       | 11    | 3     | 4     | 4     | 8     | 10    | -2    | 13    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Chelsea        |       | 11    | 2     | 6     | 3     | 7     | 9     | -2    | 12    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Wigan          |       | 11    | 2     | 4     | 5     | 5     | 13    | -8    | 10    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Huddersfield   |       | 11    | 2     | 3     | 6     | 8     | 18    | -10   | 9     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Everton        |       | 11    | 1     | 3     | 7     | 7     | 17    | -10   | 6     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Crystal Palace |       | 11    | 0     | 4     | 7     | 3     | 13    | -10   | 4     | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

November, 2036

Manchester City, Premier League, Home

City are back after two seasons in the Championship. They came up after finishing fifth there, which isn't too promising, particularly considering they relied heavily on 34-year-old striker Danny Livermore. They have tried to bolster their squad with ₤13M of signings, notably Morocco defender Olivier Collet (₤5.5M from Chelsea), Armenia defensive midfielder Levon Tadevosyan (₤4.8M from Stoke) and Austria left winger Michael Schnellrieder (₤1.1M from Villarreal). They also acquired Turkey striker Nurettin Serdar on a free transfer from Galatasaray.

Sinclair did well to cut out an early counter-attack and Pereira intercepted a dangerous cross. In a very unsuccessful first half, we were denied a penalty and lost Strand to a knock. A terrific long pass from Santaella from right on the left touch line saw Oliva head in at the near post just a few minutes into the second half. He looked to have scored another a few minutes later, but was ruled to have pushed an opponent while chasing the Zbozinek pass. Oliva and Zbozinek both missed standard chances in the final fifteen minutes, leaving it to Sinclair to shut down City and prevent them from levelling the scores. He did so, and with Aros slamming in an injury time goal, we took the three points.

Sheffield United, Carling Cup 4th Round, Away

Sheffield United are not a bad side, recently relegated from the EPL and sitting high on the Championship table. Strikers Keith Moran and Adam Rudge are particularly dangerous, and they have ex-Diamonds defender Brian Scott.

Al-Dossari had to have a save, albeit from a long shot, after just two minutes. They continued to attack, and despite a clear offside, they took the lead in the 19th through Rudge. Nuno and Holden were unsuccessful from good chances later in the half, while Al-Dossari had to make a few saves to keep them out. It was all Rushden in the second half. Zbozinek put a header wide in the 49th, then had a free saved three minutes later. In one passage of play, Nuno was denied twice by the keeper, and Zbozinek was unable to get through with a poaching attempt. Yet another save was made off Mikhailov, before Nuno FINALLY managed to score an equaliser in the 59th. Still, we were only level, and had thirty minutes to take the lead. Yet another attempt from Zbozinek and a few efforts from Holden were unsuccessful, and even substitute Lesage could not break through.

We ended 90 minutes at 1-1, going to extra time. The first half of extra time was utterly uneventful, until Rudge scored out of nowhere in the 115th minute. That was right on the end of the half, leaving us just fifteen minutes to equalise, let alone avoid penalties. Seven of those fifteen minutes passed without incident, but just as we looked completely out of it, Spellman played a 50 yard ball. Mikhailov nodded down to Lesage, he found Zbozinek, who passed to back to the Russian. He took the shot...and skimmed the bar. Zbozinek had a go himself in the 115th, with a fingertip save deflecting it. Nuno dived in with a header, and scored! 2-2, with five minutes left. A great effort given he had been having a terrible season – he only had two goals in ten games before this. Pereira was lucky not to be sent off for a double-footed tackle as the game entered the 120th minute. Holden and Santaella worked to clear the ball, and Zbozinek played an attacking ball for the strikers. It was meant for Mikhailov, but Nuno's superior pace saw him get there first. He blasted through to complete a magnificent hat-trick and win the game for Rushden...until the flag for offside was noticed. It remained 2-2, and with our first penalty from Santaella saved, it was all downhill. Al-Dossari saved one and a second went wide, but with Spellman and Pereira unsuccessful for Rushden, they won 3-2 on penalties and knocked us out of the Carling Cup.

West Ham, Premier League, Home

West Ham have managed three top-8 finishes since returning from the Championship. They offloaded two former Rushden players, defender Brian Scott (₤825K to Sheffield United) and midfielder Maciej Cieslewicz (₤65K to Stoke), and didn't make any purchases. Instead, they made free transfers including Macedonia left back Adnan Kacurkov (Sochaux), Nigeria striker Friday Ajayi (Auxerre), France right winger Jerome Dumas (Lorient) and Reading striker Andrew Fisher. Nikolai Romanov returned from injury for Rushden.

They lost Kacurkov to injury almost immediately, but forced a save from Al-Dossari through Fisher. The first half was mostly devoid of chances, with Rushden disappointing. A great 50-yard ball from Nilsen set up Holden for a goal just into the second half, but though Al-Abdullah and Lesage kept former Rushden keeper Silvestri under pressure, they scored to level the scores in the 79th. With four minutes to go, Holden continued a fine game with a cross straight into the area, which Nuno headed in to restore the lead. We held on for the three points.

Napoli, UEFA Champions League, Group F, Home

International duty saw us lose Al-Dossari, Pereira, Gonzalez and Aros, with young Lee Morgan again taking over in goal. Brazilian striker Anderson looked to have scored his first goal for the club in the 16th, but an earlier foul saw it ruled out. We dominated the first half, and it was no surprise to see Oliva put us ahead in the 28th with a fine strike from the edge of the area. However, they quickly equalised through a counter-attack. The game was balanced after that, and neither side managed to score again. 1-1.

Crystal Palace, Premier League, Away

Palace have not won a league game this season and are on the bottom of the table. We beat them 3-0 in the Carling Cup last month, with goals to Lesage, Al-Abdullah and Sinclair. Holden and Al-Abdullah had shots saved in the first ten minutes, and another two saves were made towards the end of the half. Palace barely threatened Inanç Mete and though we had a handful of chances, we were never all that impressive. A scoreless draw is a bad result against the bottom side.

Chelsea, Premier League, Home

Chelsea are really struggling this season under new manager Vergard Johnson, who started in May this year, despite being sacked after just six months at Inter. After their 12th place finish, he axed over 20 players. Veteran Egypt defender Hussein Hassan was released, and there were plenty of sales to fellow EPL sides including veteran Scotland defender Scott McDonald (₤975K to Sunderland), fullback Carl Logan (₤7.5M to Liverpool), left back Nikki Wood (₤8.5M to Newcastle), midfielder Liam Allen (₤9.25M to Leicester), defender Anders Hopfner (₤2.3M to Bolton) and Morocco defender Olivier Collet (₤5.5M to Man City) as well as right back Diego Ferrante (₤4.9M to Inter). They made plenty of signings as replacements, including Newcastle striker Chris Preston (₤9M), Portugal left winger Bruno (₤7.25M from Sevilla), Czech defender Vaclav Adamek (₤6.25M from Deportivo), South Korea left back Jang Sang-Koo (₤4.2M from Sporting CP) and Poland midfielder Jakub Kalicak (₤4.4M from Olympiakos). They also have England keeper Doug Johntson, ex-Rushden winger Martin Østensen and Wales forward Noel Wright, so it's surprising they're doing so badly.

Spellman, filling in at left back, took a throw-in in the 10th. Lesage was the recipient, and held it up for the England utility to move into the area. Spellman collected the return pass, and struck us into the lead from a tight angle. Just two minutes later, Pereira lobbed a long ball into the area. It evaded everyone and bounced back off the crossbar, falling to Oliva. He made no mistake, scoring our second in two minutes. Things turned against us mid-way through the first half, as Lesage was carded for diving and Mikhailov went off injured. However, Gardner managed to poach a goal after fellow winger Holden hit the post, giving us a 3-0 half time lead. Though substitute Marsden kept the pressure on with four on-target shots, Chelsea got the only goal of the second half. We also lost Richard Nilsen to an injury, joining Mikhailov on the sidelines for two weeks. That was a new all-time club record – our 22nd game without a loss.

Middlesbrough, Premier League, Home

Middlesbrough have been good this season, well into the top half after years in the mid-table. This is despite the huge sale of Ghana striker Isaac Asamoah to Real Madrid for ₤28.5M – a good profit when they bought him for just ₤5.5M at the start of last season. They also sold off a few more fringe players, while they added two Leicester midfielders - Ken Walton (₤6M), and Steven Smith (₤4.3M) and Trinidad & Tobago striker Keneyne Hudson (₤7.75M from Nantes). Walton and Smith have been their best players, along with Belgium defender Anthony Girard.

We were down to ten men after only eight minutes, with Oliva sent off for elbowing an opponent in the face. Romanov made an important tackle in the area in the 20th, and when a tackle knocked the ball away from Gardner at the other end two minutes later, lone striker Al-Abdullah ducked in to score. Mete barely managed to get his hand to a ball in the 38th, which was enough to deflect it wide of the goal. A perfect pass from Aros was wasted when Al-Abdullah shot over to end the half. Mete made a good save in the 50th when one-on-one with a striker. We lost Aros to injury with twenty minutes to go, and thankfully they had a goal disallowed. Al-Abdullah wasted a pile of chances, finally scoring again in the dying minutes with his seventh shot, to seal a 2-0 win. Aros was put out for a couple of months with an ankle injury. He has not been as dominant this season compared to his previous efforts, though he's still a good player.

[Donners]

December, 2036

Levski (Sofia), UEFA Champions League, Group F, Away

This game meant nothing with Rushden way on top. Holden opened the scoring after only six minutes, strikers Oliva and Anderson added one each and then Oliva scored his second just before half time, only seconds after having one disallowed. Santaella scored our fifth of the game from the spot in the 82nd.

Everton, Premier League, Away

Everton have won just one league game for the season and look very likely to be relegated, even at this early stage. This is perhaps partly due to their massive turnover, with almost 20 new players and the same number going out. Of those to leave, just one of those netted them any money, with 39-year-old right back El Hadji Faye sold to Villareal for ₤250K. They also released former Rushden utility Lukasz Brzeczek and defender Olvaldo Galves. Among the hordes coming in were left back Fabrizio Barbagallo (₤1.4M from Catania), midfielder Marco Palumbo (₤2.6M from Siena), Poland keeper Alexandr Karlsen (free), Romania centre back Vasile Alexa (free from Hertha) and Scotland right winger Scott Mohan (free from Barnsley). With Aros, Gonzalez, Mikhailov and Nilsen injured and Oliva suspended, my options were cut down a bit, though Ronald Vargas returned from an injury of his own.

Everton gave us a huge scare, scoring in the first minute. Thankfully it was disallowed, but we were soon under pressure again, with James Gibbs having to clear a loose ball off the line. They scored in the 39th, and this time it counted as we were totally outplayed. Al-Dossari was beaten again late in the half, despite having made an excellent save moments earlier. The day got worse with Al-Abdullah off injured, and we did not even manage to put a shot on target. A horrible effort against 12-1 underdogs, ending our unbeaten streak.

Newcastle, Premier League, Away

Newcastle are, as always, towards the top of the table, though we beat them 3-0 in the Community Shield at the start of the season. Bolivia striker Henry Cossio Lopez has ten goals already this season.

We had a mixed start, with Nuno skimming the bar and Marsden forced off injured. Cossio Lopez forced a save from Al-Dossari with a header and Scotland left back Nikki Wood also caused us a few problems. We were not without chances – Nuno alone had five shots – yet failed to score. With Romanov solid in defence, we held them to a scoreless draw.

Tottenham, Premier League, Home

Tottenham are in seventh place, though with so much of the season to go and a tight top half, they are certainly title contenders. That's a fair effort given that they've spent the last few years in the Championship. Ireland striker Dale Wright was a major part of their promotion, though they lost successful keeper Paul Spencer to Liverpool without compensation. They in turn replaced him with Germany keeper Andreas Rinke (free from Gladbach) along with Lithuania defender Kestutis Galkauskas (free from Dundee Utd) and full back Torgeir Dahl (free from Rushden).

Nuno was certainly energetic at the start, with three shots in the first dozen minutes, yet all went wide. Zbozinek also missed and Pál was on target, yet unable to beat the keeper. They did not have a single attempt, and though we had plenty, it was still scoreless. In the end we had a dozen shots, six of those to Nuno, and all to no avail.

Wigan, Premier League, Home

We beat Wigan 1-0 right at the start of the season. They're quite close to relegation and none of their players have managed more than four goals this season. Ireland defender Barry Fallon has been solid, which is more than you say for most of their squad.

Early shots from Gardner and Pál couldn't beat the keeper and reserve striker Rafael put one well wide from inside the area. The frustration continued with two Holden shots saved, and the only positive at half time was that Wigan had a player sent off in the 43rd minute. Nonetheless, Oliva, Pál and Gardner still failed to get through their keeper, and it was not until the 78th minute that Holden finally scored from a direct free. Lesage set up Mikhailov for a second a few minutes later as we at last sealed a win which should have been secured some time ago.

Manchester United, Premier League, Away

United are within striking distance of the top few spots, though their 8th position may be disappointing to some. We beat them 3-1 earlier in the season. Former Rushden striker Ibrahim Tolba has been great for them, with a dozen goals, and he's been well supported by England striker Mick Oakley. England team-mate Nathan Everitt is one of the league's top defenders.

It was certainly a frenetic start. Holden burst into the area in the opening minute and tried to set up Rafael, who was blocked. Lesage tried to follow up, but couldn't get through. Nonetheless, we took five minutes later, with Holden's free kick headed in by fellow winger Gardner. United took barely a minute with reply, with Tolba bursting straight past James Gibbs to level the scores. Al-Dossari made a couple of saves, while Lesage missed and strikers Oliva and Rafael were denied. It took another free kick from Holden to restore the lead, this one going into the net directly. We dominated the second half and, if anything, were unlucky not to go further ahead. Only poor shooting from Lesage and Oliva prevented that, while Sinclair was Man of the Match for a colossal performance in defence.

Liverpool, Premier League, Away

Liverpool have also been pretty disappointing, sitting four places below United despite six consecutive top-six finishes. This is quite remarkable given that they didn't lose any good players from last season, with two veterans retiring and defender Rens Kuipers offloaded to Cesena for ₤1.5M. They made two free signings, Rushden midfielder Sebastian Morales and Tottenham keeper Paul Spencer, also spending ₤5.25M on Cruz Atol's Venezuela defender Rafael Pena and ₤7.5M on Chelsea full back Carl Logan. Perhaps demonstrating weaknesses in their side, they've loaned in Roma's Brazil playmaker Diego and Deportivo centre back Francesco Longo. England striker Richard Scott has been their star this season.

Again we got off to a good start. A long ball from keeper Al-Dossari was nodded down by Holden to Lesage, who sped into the area and scored. Like the last game, we failed to hold it, though this time it at least took half an hour. We restored the lead just on half time through Oliva, played through by Zbozinek. Partner Nuno made it 3-1 in the second half, and with Al-Dossari keeping out Scotland veteran Scott Strachan, that was the final score.

[Donners]

January, 2037

Off the pitch, January was quite frustrating. We lost some really promising players on free transfers, including defender Davide De Vito and striker Dusan Paunovic. We also failed to lure back former Rushden defender Filip Arvidsson from Lazio. Right back Richard Nilsen is also set to leave in May, though I at least get some money for him.

Burnley, FA Cup 3rd round, Home

A match against a fairly weak Championship side, though they do have former Scotland keeper Jamie Harris in goal. Spellman intercepted the ball moments after they kicked off, launching an attack that saw Nuno head partner Oliva through. Just twenty seconds in, the Spain striker carved up the defence to score. Lesage likewise cut through the defence for our second in the 16th, and Nuno scored from a tight angle for a 3-0 half time lead. Mikhailov was denied a fourth by an offside call, so Lesage did it a few minutes later. A simple win to progress.

Sunderland, Premier League, Home

We drew with Sunderland early in the season, and they are challenging for a European spot. They have made a couple of moves already this month, with centre back Ferreira off to West Ham for ₤1.4M and a young keeper added.

The newly-signed Zbozinek started as an attacking midfielder, and just three minutes in, hit the post with a shot. It bounced to Oliva, who tapped in for another early lead. We maintained a steady attack through the first half, with Nuno and Oliva both challenging former Rushden keeper Steven Slade. Zbozinek hit the post for the second time in the game at the start of the second half, this time with a free kick. Lesage doubled the lead, heading an attempted clearance straight back into the net in the 54th. Oliva, despite scoring the first of the game, was regularly off-target with his eight shots. Partner Nuno was also unsuccessful with five. It could have been really costly, with Sunderland breaking through late, though we held on for a 2-1 win.

Cardiff, Premier League, Away

After coming close to relegation last season, Cardiff look a bit safer in the middle of the table. They have made a big purchase this month, with Ecuador midfielder Armando Minda in for ₤5.25M from Siena, and loaned in Lazio striker Alessandro Casale. However, they lost Ireland defender Peter Goodfellow (₤1.5M to Southampton) and Slovenia defender Dejan Perme (₤7.75M to Roma). That leaves them a bit light at the back, though Gary Harvey has done well for them.

A miss from Lesage was the only shot of the first half. We did not manage to get a shot on target until the 73rd minute, when a header from Oliva was parried, and with Oliva denied again in the dying minutes, we were left with a dull, scoreless draw.

Leicester, Premier League, Home

Leicester are looking dangerously close to relegation, despite holding us to a scoreless draw early in the season. They have tried to change around their squad in January with five sales – among them Uzbekistan right back Yury Ismoilov (₤4.6M to Arsenal), Scotland midfielder Alex Turner (₤6M to Man City) and a few young players. They spent all their income, and then some, on Man U left winger Hans van der Laan, who cost ₤13.25M.

This time, at least we had a few shots on target in the first half, though both Gardner and Lesage were denied. They had a player sent off before half time, though Nilsen and Lesage were still unable to break through. Two more shots to Anderson, another to Zbozinek and Gardner, and again all were saved. With a last-minute attempt from Anderson held, we had twenty shots, ten saved, and zero goals. They did not have a single shot, yet came away with a point.

I turned down a ₤23.5M Roma bid for Nicky Gardner, since I have few other options for the right wing.

Portsmouth, FA Cup 4th round, Away

Portsmouth are in the Championship but look likely to return to League One, where they spent most of this decade. They have prolific striker Andy Cook and former Barnsley midfielder Juan Carlos Rivas among a strong squad.

We launched a great attack which started with keeper Mete, moved through Spellman and Anderson and finished with Strand crossing to Nuno for a second minute goal. Portsmouth were certainly not outclassed, and put Mete under pressure a few times in the first half. They did better than that five minutes into the second, scoring with a header to level the scores. Our task was made harder with both Anderson and Zbozinek going off injured shortly after, and then we lost Marsden in the 67th. With substitute Oliva clipping the post in the final minutes, we'll have to go to a rematch. Marsden's season is over with a torn hamstring, while Zbozinek will miss a fortnight. That was our third straight draw, with just one goal in that trio of games.

Huddersfield, Premier League, Away

Huddersfield, after barely escaping relegation, have settled into a mid-table spot. They have not made any moves this month, relying on the players they have already added in the last year and a half. Ex-Rushden midfielder Mario Lentsch has been their best player this season. Alexis Aros made his return from injury to replace the injured Zbozinek.

Al-Dossari had to make a save in the opening minute when Pereira gave away a free, and did brilliantly to tip over another shot a few minutes later. They looked to have taken the lead through Toth, but were denied by an offside call. For once, it was Rushden totally on the back foot, barely holding on to a 0-0 scoreline at half time. A brilliant long ball from Richard Nilsen set up Strand for a goal just a few minutes into the second half, and fellow full back Spellman set up the other winger, Nicky Gardner, for our second. Oliva continued the procession with a third, and Lesage capped off a brilliant fightback with the fourth in the final minutes. That was a welcome return to scoring form for Rushden.

I rejected a ₤22.5M Real Madrid bid for Dominic Holden for pretty much the same reason as I rejected the Gardner bid – I don't have a lot of cover for the wings.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team           |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Rushden        |       | 25    | 15    | 9     | 1     | 40    | 14    | +26   | 54    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Arsenal        |       | 25    | 15    | 3     | 7     | 31    | 21    | +10   | 48    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Newcastle      |       | 26    | 13    | 6     | 7     | 32    | 15    | +17   | 45    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | West Ham       |       | 25    | 11    | 10    | 4     | 29    | 21    | +8    | 43    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Middlesbrough  |       | 26    | 12    | 7     | 7     | 27    | 20    | +7    | 43    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Man Utd        |       | 25    | 11    | 9     | 5     | 36    | 23    | +13   | 42    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Sunderland     |       | 26    | 10    | 9     | 7     | 26    | 20    | +6    | 39    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Tottenham      |       | 26    | 9     | 11    | 6     | 21    | 18    | +3    | 38    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Barnsley       |       | 26    | 11    | 5     | 10    | 21    | 19    | +2    | 38    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Huddersfield   |       | 26    | 9     | 7     | 10    | 28    | 37    | -9    | 34    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | MK Dons        |       | 25    | 8     | 8     | 9     | 26    | 32    | -6    | 32    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Liverpool      |       | 24    | 8     | 7     | 9     | 21    | 21    | 0     | 31    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Cardiff        |       | 25    | 7     | 10    | 8     | 17    | 19    | -2    | 31    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Chelsea        |       | 26    | 7     | 9     | 10    | 22    | 26    | -4    | 30    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Bolton         |       | 26    | 7     | 8     | 11    | 20    | 22    | -2    | 29    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Leicester      |       | 26    | 6     | 9     | 11    | 24    | 31    | -7    | 27    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Wigan          |       | 25    | 5     | 10    | 10    | 14    | 28    | -14   | 25    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Man City       |       | 25    | 6     | 5     | 14    | 22    | 33    | -11   | 23    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Crystal Palace |       | 26    | 4     | 8     | 14    | 13    | 27    | -14   | 20    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Everton        |       | 26    | 2     | 8     | 16    | 16    | 39    | -23   | 14    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

February, 2037

MK Dons, Premier League, Home

After a surprise fifth place last season, Dons are back to more expected territory in 12th place. They used January's transfer window to offload two veterans, buying Romania left back Tiberiu Zamfirescu from Arsenal for ₤3.1M. Their decline may owe a lot to the form of ex-Diamonds midfielder Aitor Gutierrez – after 14 goals and 9 assists last season, he hasn't scored at all and has just two assists this season.

Aside from wild shots from Strand and Lesage, there was no real action in the first twenty minutes. Anderson managed to squeeze into the area and at least challenge the keeper in the 22nd, though his shot was easily parried. He then headed wide in the 32nd, but a free kick from Aros late in the half took a big enough deflection to be classified an own goal as it whistled into the net. Strand hit the crossbar with a free early in the second half, and they thankfully missed at the other end. With a Lesage shot parried straight to Aros in the 82nd, we sealed the victory with a second goal.

Portsmouth, FA Cup 4th round replay, Home

We lost Lesage for this rematch, though at least it was at Nene Park. Gardner threatened with a few passes into the area, though his work was for nothing with Nuno hitting the ball straight into the keeper twice in a row. His partner Anderson did better, collecting a good long ball from Nushi which floated over the defence and left him with a fairly straightforward finish for the lead. A few long shots from Aros kept the pressure on in the second half, while Strand sent in a few wild attempts. A counter-attack led by Aros sent Anderson through for a shot which was deflected wide, though with a last-ditch tackle from Nushi keeping Portsmouth from scoring late, one goal was enough.

Barnsley, Premier League, Away

Barnsley, with whom we drew earlier in the season, are in contention for a European spot. They made some strategic signings in January, adding teenage striker Nick Cooke (free from Kerry), midfielder Darren Murray (₤1.2M from Chelsea) and young defender Hans Versluis (₤2M from Vitesse). They also loaned in Germany right back Andreas Leitl from Roma.

The game began badly for Rushden, particularly defender Nikolay Romanov, who first got a yellow card, and then failed to block a pass which saw them score in the sixth minute. Things got much worse in the 38th when fellow defender Richard Nilsen was sent off, and though Al-Dossari saved the initial free, they scored again from a follow-up. A two-minute burst from Barnsley in injury time, and it was 0-4, with Rushden facing a horrific loss. Thankfully, we did keep them quiet in the second half, and even pulled one back through a Strand free kick, though it was still a bad loss.

Hull, FA Cup 5th round, Home

Another Championship side for our FA Cup run, Hull are in the middle of their table after achieving promotion from League One last season. Latvia left back Maksims Kolokolenkins is their only notable player.

Unlike the last game, we got off to a great start, with Pál earning a penalty in the fourth minute, which Aros scored from. Oliva, Lesage and Aros peppered the goals, with Lesage breaking through for our second. That was all we needed – a simple 2-0 win.

PSV, Champions League, 1st knockout round, leg 1, Away

PSV have only made it past this stage once, and that was fifteen years ago. They have some decent players, including on-loan Chelsea striker Fred van Bremen, Holland midfielder Roel Bosman and Belarus midfielder Artur Kononov. I added Mete to the Champions League squad, so at least I now had a backup keeper.

After missing one early shot, Oliva managed to speed through the defence to score in the eighth minute. A counter-attack led by Aros in the 21st forced a parry, with Lesage in the right place to score his tenth of the season and double the lead. A half-volley from Oliva made it 3-0 before the break, and we held that lead at the final whistle.

Liverpool, Premier League, Home

Liverpool have dropped ten places from their finish of 4th last season, though it's still so tight in the middle of the table that they can even reach a European spot with a few good results. Nonetheless, their under-fire manager Dave Walker opted not to make any squad changes in January. Romania defender Csongor Kardos has been one of the best players in the league this season.

Aros had two free kicks held in the first ten minutes. Fellow midfielder Ronald Vargas put us ahead in the 25th after a good team move and Nuno kept the Liverpool defence busy. Spellman, who set up the earlier goal to Vargas, scored one of his own with a great curling effort just before the break. Nuno extended the lead a few minutes into the second half and a red card did not improve Liverpool's day. Aros was still unable to break through with a free kick, though 3-0 was certainly good enough.

Arsenal, Premier League, Away

This was certainly an important game, with Arsenal nine points behind in second place, despite being hammered by us 4-1 at Nene Park. Last month, they offloaded Romania left back Tiberu Zamfirescu to MK Dons for ₤3.1M and released former Italy midfielder Mauro De Nadei and former Brazil striker Andre (who played just 38 league games in five seasons after his ₤20M move from Inter). They brought in Uzbekistan right back Yury Ismolov (₤4.6M from Leicester) and young utility Ernst Hauser (₤3.2M from Rennes).

The first half was quite uneventful. Each side had a single shot saved, and we lost Romanov to a foot injury. In the second half, former Rushden midfielder Francisco Matoso forced Al-Dossari into a great save with a long-range shot, while another ex-Diamond, Kristian Gaup, almost gifted Nuno a goal with a defensive error. He missed, as did yet another familiar name, Salvatore Chiappara for Arsenal. Ultimately, it was a scoreless draw which did nothing to change the situation on the table.

Spellman's goal against Liverpool was Goal of the Month.

[Donners]

March, 2037

PSV, Champions League, 1st knockout round, leg 1, Home

We had a 3-0 lead from the away leg, which made progression pretty much certain. After a few early misses form Pál, Nuno ensured progression with his tenth goal of the season. Oliva headed in a fifth for the aggregate, and though PSV pulled one back in the second half, Nuno scored his second for the game to complete a 6-1 aggregate win. There was a big price to pay, with Dan Spellman having his season ended by a torn hamstring.

I tried to sign Russian defender Igor Sinitsyn as a replacement for Spellman, but he was denied a work permit.

Everton, FA Cup 6th round, Away

Despite being on the bottom of the Premiership table, Everton pulled out a 0-2 win against us in December. The only change to their squad since then has been the loan of Mexico defensive midfielder Jose Centeno from Inter.

With powerful shots from Anderson and Vargas saved, and attacks from Aros and Oliva ruled offside, we endured a frustrating start. It was made even worse by Wales striker Paul Davis, who was a constant threat and gave Everton the lead in the 17th. In the 24th, Aros made a good run out of defence and found Zbozinek. He touched it on to Oliva, who streaked through and levelled the scores. Three minutes later, a Vargas cross deflected to Santaella, who struck us into the lead from outside the area. Oliva and Nushi both missed chances to extend the lead before the break. Mete made a couple of saves immediately after half time, but the ever present Davis set up Everton's second goal with a cross, and again scores were level with twenty-two minutes to go. It took just three of those for the lead to be restored, with Nicky Gardner's long ball sending Anderson through the defence to score. Mete made another good save, and an Aros free kick sealed the win and our progression with a 4-2 win.

Adding to the problems caused by Spellman's injury, left back Santaella was put out for a month with a training injury. I have several good full backs in the squad, but all the others are out on loan. The only one with a recall option is injured. Without a left back, I will have to play three centre backs and two defensive midfielders.

Bolton, Premier League, Home

Bolton are well into the second half of the table, but still a few points away from relegation. After holding us to a 2-2 draw earlier in the season, they sold left back Paul Donachie (₤2.4M to Roma) and brought in striker Scott Moore (₤825K from Valencia) and Norway right back Ola Halvorsrud (free from Barcelona). Yaser Al-Abdullah returned after a lengthy absence due to a fractured skull. Pál and Zbozinek played as defensive midfielders with Sinclair, Pereira and Nushi across the back.

We started badly, not only giving away the ball too often, but losing Pál to an injury. That made even more of a mess of my formation, with Nilsen having to play out of position. We really didn't have many chances, and when Vargas sent in a sharp cross out of nowhere, Oliva could only hit the bar with his header. Al-Abdullah missed a shot from a tight angle a minute into the second half, and the only consolation was that Bolton were also off-target. Long frees from Nushi and Aros were held. It took substitute Lesage to finally score, putting in a cross from Vargas with just ten minutes to go. Oliva belatedly added a second to make sure of the win. Pál will miss over a month with a broken toe, and Gardner will also be out with a broken arm.

I received a new contract, offering me a massive ₤140K per week - ₤50K more than my previous deal. That was tempered with bad news, as Alexis Aros suffered a fractured wrist at training – all but ending his season.

Napoli, Champions League Quarter Final first leg, Away

Napoli are sixth in Serie A, having finished third last season. They have a couple of former Rushden players, Mexico striker Sergio Sanchez, Japan defender Michiharu Moroe, classy Switzerland midfielder Bruno Schlegel and Holland defender Jaap Zevenbergen. They also feature powerful Colombia striker Jonay Busquets (thankfully on international duty) and veteran keeper Kristaps Bulavsky. There were selection challenges for this game. Santaella, Spellman, Pál, Gardner, Gibbs and Aros were injured, Nuno carrying a knock and Pereira, Al-Dossari and Al-Abdullah on international duty. With Zbozinek ineligible, I was left without a right winger, central midfielder or left back. I brought up defender Lajos Tóth from the reserves for his début at left back, and played Vargas out of position on the right wing with Romanov returning to play as a midfielder. Five of my substitutes have no senior experience.

Mete managed a couple of early saves, with Sinclair making a few desperate tackles and clearances to ease the pressure. The first half was all Napoli, albeit with few clear-cut chances. Our first shot came in the 56th minute, with a great long-range curling shot from Vargas barely kept out. We had another chance in the 64th with Oliva firing off a volley from inside the area, but it was parried and Anderson couldn't get a shot off. Just as it looked like we were getting on track, Mete was found horribly out of position for a free which floated over his head and into the net in the final minutes. Thankfully, it was ruled out, and we held on for a draw.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team           |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Rushden        |       | 30    | 18    | 10    | 2     | 48    | 18    | +30   | 64    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Arsenal        |       | 30    | 17    | 4     | 9     | 40    | 27    | +13   | 55    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Newcastle      |       | 31    | 15    | 8     | 8     | 35    | 17    | +18   | 53    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | West Ham       |       | 31    | 13    | 14    | 4     | 35    | 24    | +11   | 53    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Man Utd        |       | 31    | 13    | 10    | 8     | 40    | 30    | +10   | 49    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Sunderland     |       | 31    | 12    | 12    | 7     | 32    | 22    | +10   | 48    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Middlesbrough  |       | 31    | 12    | 11    | 8     | 31    | 25    | +6    | 47    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Barnsley       |       | 31    | 13    | 6     | 12    | 27    | 23    | +4    | 45    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Liverpool      |       | 30    | 11    | 8     | 11    | 30    | 28    | +2    | 41    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Tottenham      |       | 30    | 10    | 11    | 9     | 26    | 25    | +1    | 41    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Huddersfield   |       | 31    | 11    | 8     | 12    | 32    | 41    | -9    | 41    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Chelsea        |       | 31    | 9     | 11    | 11    | 27    | 30    | -3    | 38    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | MK Dons        |       | 31    | 9     | 11    | 11    | 31    | 40    | -9    | 38    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Cardiff        |       | 31    | 8     | 12    | 11    | 22    | 26    | -4    | 36    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Bolton         |       | 31    | 8     | 10    | 13    | 28    | 31    | -3    | 34    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Man City       |       | 30    | 9     | 7     | 14    | 29    | 36    | -7    | 34    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Wigan          |       | 30    | 7     | 13    | 10    | 19    | 31    | -12   | 34    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Leicester      |       | 31    | 7     | 12    | 12    | 27    | 34    | -7    | 33    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Crystal Palace |       | 31    | 5     | 8     | 18    | 19    | 39    | -20   | 23    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Everton        |       | 31    | 2     | 10    | 19    | 18    | 49    | -31   | 16    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

April, 2037

Newcastle, Premier League, Home

Newcastle are in third place, and held us to a scoreless draw in December, though we beat them 3-0 in the Community Shield. The money was really thrown around in January. They sold defender Marcus Bjerkeseth to Chelsea for ₤4.3M and Swiss left back Herve Mohammed to Barcelona for ₤14M. That was easily outweighed by their purchases, adding Chelsea left back Tony Weaver (₤6.75M), centre back Doctor Koza (₤8.5M from Roma) – both of those formerly of Rushden – Holland right back Jan Bakker (₤15M from Atlético) and, if those weren't enough, Croatia forward Zoran Bajlo, who has not scored a goal since his incredible ₤42M move from Lyon. We at least got Al-Dossari, Pereira and Zbozinek back for this game.

Newcastle took the lead in the 24th through a free kick, while we lost striker Eugeny Mikhailov to injury. All we could manage for the game were a couple of wild shots from Lesage and Oliva, and while they did not have much more, that free kick was the difference. With just three minutes to go, Tóth broke down the left and sent a long ball to Holden. He flicked it into the box for Oliva, who headed in at the near post to level the scores. Only one point, but it was better than what it looked like we would end up with.

Left back Sergio Santaella opted to join Valencia at the end of the season rather than re-sign. Romanov also chose to leave, agreeing terms with Udinese.

Napoli, Champions League Quarter Final second leg, Home

We still had no left back, central midfielder or right winger for this game, with Tóth, Romanov and Vargas filling the roles. An early Holden free was parried, and Nuno headed a corner into the post on nine minutes. Romanov had two shots saved and an Oliva header was denied as Rushden dominated without result in the first half. A counter-attack saw yet another save from an Oliva shot, and though Nuno got to the loose ball, his quick shot went wide. With twenty minutes to go, a counter-attack saw Vargas take a shot. It took a huge deflection off a defender and trickled into the net well away from the keeper. It went down as an own goal, but either way, we were ahead. Lesage missed three shots in the final minutes before Oliva exploited a desperate Napoli attack with a goal on the break. 2-0, and a semi-final for Rushden despite the injuries.

West Ham, FA Cup Semi Final, Neutral

The Champions League is not our only remaining cup competition, with the Rushden in the final stages of the FA Cup. Fourth placed West Ham were our opponents for this stage, just three days before we face them for a crucial league match. They could well get their best-ever finish in this league, led by ex-Diamonds keeper Davide Silvestri and centre back Ross Laing. Oddly, though, they sold some big players in January, including Norway centre back Ole Husoy (₤8M to Barcelona), Ireland left back Laurie Smith (₤4.4M to Man City) and Portugal right back Rui (₤600K to Sheffield United). They also released former Spain midfielder Eneko Punal and former Belgium winger Fabian Verbeek. They added Belgium midfielder Perry van den Ouweland (₤7M from Siena) and Portugal centre back Ferreira (₤1.4M from Sunderland).

Mete had to make a save in the opening minute, while a curling free from Al-Abdullah was saved in the fifth. Mete made a brilliant save from a quick attack launched by keeper Silvestri, and we took advantage – and the lead – with a quick attack of our own. Nilsen launched a long ball, and Al-Abdullah finished it off. Another counter-attack saw three Rushden players through the defence, yet somehow the combination of Strand, Anderson and Al-Abdullah failed to beat Silvestri. However, Anderson made amends with our second late in the first half. West Ham were by no means done for, and after hitting the post a few minutes into the second half, they pulled one back in the 60th through former Reading striker Andrew Fisher. Fisher looked to have scored a second with twenty minutes to go, only to have it disallowed due to a foul. However, they earned a penalty just a few minutes later, when Pereira knocked over Fisher. Macedonia defender Adnan Kacurkov took the kick...and Mete punched it clear! To rub it in, Anderson collected a parried Al-Abdullah shot to seal it with his second in the final moments.

West Ham, Premier League, Away

After beating West Ham in the previous game, we had a chance to ensure that they could not challenge for the title. With six games left, they are nine points behind us. A chip from Lesage in the opening minute was punched over, but Al-Abdullah scored a few minutes later. Mete kept out the dangerous Fisher in the 18th but conceded later in the half. It was a quite even half with clinical finishing at both ends to lead to the 1-1 scoreline. The only chances for the second half were a few wild free kicks from West Ham. With Pereira heading over a late corner, it was a point each.

Chelsea, Premier League, Away

Chelsea are barely in the top ten, and sacked their manager in December. New manager Paddy McNally sold off left back Tony Weaver (₤6.75M to Newcastle), midfielder Darren Murray (₤1.2M to Barnsley) and keeper Josef Toman (₤1.3M to M Haifa). He brought in defender Markus Bjerkeseth (₤4.3M from Newcastle), Scotland left back Jimmy Mathieson (₤7.75M from Man City) and Scotland winger Jimmy Kane (₤4.4M from Birmingham).

We lost Nilsen to injury in barely a minute, forcing Romanov to play out of position at right back. Al-Dossari made a few good saves, while Anderson and Nuno missed for Rushden. Pereira did great work in defence, cutting out an attack three times in a minute at one point, and Al-Dossari continued to work hard. Still, Chelsea looked the more dangerous side, and they eventually took the lead just on half time. Ex-Diamond Martin Østensen scored another goal on the other side of the break, and we just had no answer. That was a disaster, with Arsenal winning their game to pull level on 66 points, though we have five games left and they only have three. We also lost Nilsen for a month, which creates a big hole at right back.

Real Madrid, Champions League Semi Final 1st leg, Home

A big opponent for a big game. Real Madrid defeated us to win this competition last season, and this time only one of us will make it to the Final. They are second in the Primera Division, the same place as where they finished last season. Their power is evidenced by their ₤104M worth of new players since our last encounter, including a few of our old players – right back Shuei Uruno (₤20M from us), who would be really useful for us now, and midfielder Rolands Prohorenkovs (₤22M, a few years after we sold him for ₤5M). They also feature Ghana striker Isaac Asamoah (₤28.5M from Middlesbrough) and Saudi forward Ahmed Al-Harbi (₤30M from Benfica), in a side which also includes stacks more ex-Rushden players - my Norway left winger Thomas Pedersen, defenders Ronald, Gavin Boyd and Colin Erdogan, keeper Luis Jose Ortega and striker David Davidson. I had to put Vargas on the right wing again, with James Gibbs playing as a central midfielder. Santaella returned at left back despite not being fully fit, with Tóth moving to right back.

A long ball from Gibbs found Anderson besieged at the edge of the area. The ball was knocked free, to where Anderson swooped in and flicked a shot at goal. The keeper was caught out, and we took a third-minute lead. Al-Dossari kept us in front with some good saves from long-range shots and scrambles, though Real had few clear chances. We had a great chance to extend the lead in the final minutes, with Holden crossing to Oliva in the area. Somehow, he missed from close range. Worse still, an error from Vargas at the other end caught our defence out of position, and Asamoah levelled the score with two minutes to go. That leaves us at a disadvantage, having conceded an away goal.

Middlesbrough, Premier League, Away

Middlesbrough look to have sealed a top-half finish, and are now pushing for a European spot. Al-Abdullah scored a brace against them in a 2-0 win last November. Their only transfer since then was to sell Slovakia left winger Anton Majoros to Norwich for ₤2.2M. They do not have a player with more than seven goals for the season.

To give players a rest for the Champions League match three days later, I had added a few reserve players, among them striker Samba Fofana. He made the most of his chance, scoring his first goal for the club in the 29th minute. Mete made a few good saves but eventually conceded in the 78th. Middlesbrough had a player dismissed with three minutes to go, and Sinclair had a free saved as we slumped to a 1-1 draw. That put us just a point clear of Arsenal, and we now only have a single game in hand. However, there was at least some good news, as they suffered a 0-1 loss to Leicester the next day.

Real Madrid, Champions League Semi Final 2nd leg, Away

With a 1-1 draw at home, we have to score to make it to the Final We got Nicky Gardner and Sergio Santaella back, but are still missing Nilsen, Spellman, Pál, Zbozinek, Aros and Mikhailov.

Having missed a simple goal in the previous leg, Oliva well and truly made amends in the 19th, heading in a cross from Gardner after 19 minutes. That was his 25th of the season, and perhaps the most important. Lesage missed a sitter in similar fashion to Oliva at Nene Park, putting a great Holden cross well wide. However, a brilliant team move saw Al-Abdullah charging down the left in the 51st, and from his pass, Oliva put through his - and our – second. We peppered the goals after that, but ex-Diamond David Davidson had a big impact with a goal in the 67th. That made it 3-2 on aggregate, though they needed two more goals to knock us out. With Holden wrecking havoc and Sinclair and Mete holding firm, we held on to win, and progress to the Final.

Manchester City, Premier League, Away

Just two days later, we had to return to battle for the title. With three games left, we faced Man City, with only a one-point gap between us and Arsenal. City are in the bottom half, though clear of relegation. They sold left back Jimmy Mathieson to Chelsea for ₤7.75M and brought in several players, including Scotland midfielder Alex Turner (₤6M from Leicester), Ireland utility Laurie Smith (₤4.4M from West Ham) and defender Jose Delgado (₤3.1M from Celta). Both the scorers in our last encounter, Aros and Oliva, were missing.

Al-Dossari made a save in the 16th and though there were very few shots to either side, they scored a sneaky goal just on half time. It was bad that we couldn't get a shot on target in response, and even worse when Sinclair went off injured. Lesage eventually broke through for a late goal to get a draw, and there was considerable relief when it was learned that Sinclair's injury was not significant.

However, we are only two points away from second-placed Arsenal and third-placed West Ham. Fourth-placed Newcastle are too far away to catch us. We face Everton, Crystal Palace and Tottenham in our final games – thankfully, two already-relegated sides, but we have not managed to beat any of them in the league this season. Arsenal play Huddersfield and MK Dons and West Ham play Man U and Sunderland – tougher runs, but certainly not impossible.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team           |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Rushden        |       | 35    | 18    | 14    | 3     | 52    | 24    | +28   | 68    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Arsenal        |       | 36    | 20    | 6     | 10    | 49    | 30    | +19   | 66    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | West Ham       |       | 36    | 17    | 15    | 4     | 41    | 25    | +16   | 66    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Newcastle      |       | 36    | 17    | 10    | 9     | 43    | 24    | +19   | 61    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Sunderland     |       | 36    | 15    | 13    | 8     | 38    | 25    | +13   | 58    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Man Utd        |       | 36    | 15    | 11    | 10    | 47    | 35    | +12   | 56    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Middlesbrough  |       | 36    | 12    | 14    | 10    | 36    | 32    | +4    | 50    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Barnsley       |       | 36    | 14    | 8     | 14    | 29    | 26    | +3    | 50    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Chelsea        |       | 36    | 13    | 11    | 12    | 33    | 33    | 0     | 50    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Liverpool      |       | 36    | 13    | 10    | 13    | 36    | 35    | +1    | 49    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Huddersfield   |       | 36    | 13    | 9     | 14    | 38    | 49    | -11   | 48    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Bolton         |       | 35    | 11    | 11    | 13    | 35    | 33    | +2    | 44    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Tottenham      |       | 35    | 10    | 13    | 12    | 28    | 33    | -5    | 43    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | MK Dons        |       | 36    | 10    | 13    | 13    | 34    | 44    | -10   | 43    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Leicester      |       | 36    | 9     | 15    | 12    | 32    | 36    | -4    | 42    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Man City       |       | 36    | 11    | 8     | 17    | 36    | 43    | -7    | 41    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Wigan          |       | 36    | 9     | 14    | 13    | 24    | 38    | -14   | 41    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Cardiff        |       | 36    | 9     | 13    | 14    | 24    | 34    | -10   | 40    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  | R     | Crystal Palace |       | 35    | 6     | 10    | 19    | 23    | 43    | -20   | 28    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  | R     | Everton        |       | 36    | 2     | 10    | 24    | 22    | 58    | -36   | 16    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

May, 2037

Everton, Premier League, Home

Everton are bottom of the table and already relegation. However, they beat us 0-2 early in the season, and scored another two against us in the FA Cup (though we got four). Striker Paul Davis has just six goals for the season, yet has been very good against us.

Just three minutes in, a powerful strike from Vargas gave Rushden the lead. Paul Davis missed at the other end, while we kept the pressure on with shots from Fofana and Vargas. The latter continued his excellent game with a second goal in the 24th, yet Everton still managed to undo our defence. They scored in the 34th, only to have defender Sinclair quickly cancel that out with a free. 3-1 at half time, and shades of our FA Cup encounter. Sinclair scored his second and our fourth, which was quite valuable when they scored again. It's worrying that the bottom side scores so freely against us, but at least we got three points. With Arsenal suffering a shock 1-3 loss to Huddersfield, that left West Ham as the only possible contender. With the Hammers losing 0-1 to Manchester United, that ended the title race – our second title hat-trick in seven years.

Crystal Palace, Premier League, Home

With the title sealed, I gave young players like Fofana, midfielder Tom Robson and striker Bjorn Rexhaj. Palace are going straight back to the Championship.

Rexhaj scored just fourteen minutes into his début and Fofana and Holden kept the pressure on. Zbozinek scored our second just on half time and the demoralised Palace players offered no resistance. 2-0.

Tottenham, Premier League, Away

Our last game of the season was against a side which is in the bottom half of the table. They have not made any significant changes to the squad which held us to a scoreless draw at home. Giant defender Chris West has been by far their best player.

Tottenham took the lead after eleven minutes and in a tight contest, it was good to see Vargas continue his fine form with an equaliser in the 30th. However, it was concerning to again concede a second goal against a weak side, just as we did against Everton. We were outplayed to an extent, and though plenty of players were missing, it was still a worrying sign.

Richard Nilsen completed his ₤8M move to Roma, which doesn't have any impact on the final games as he was injured anyway. Leeds stole long-time coaches Morten Nielsen and Wayne Stephenson, so I had to bring in Italian lower leaguer Cosimo Bodini and former Russia and Monaco star Dmitry Belkov.

Manchester United, FA Cup Final, Neutral

United dragged themselves up to fifth on the table, though we have beaten them 2-1 and 3-1 this season. There was great news for us, with ex-Rushden striker Ibrahim Tolba, who has 26 goals this season, out injured. Their two next best are Australian Chris Josifovski (8) and England utility Neal Herbert (13). However, we were without the in-form Vargas due to international duty, and of course still have Aros, Spellman and Pál yet to recover from injury. Still, this is our title to defend, and completing a double – and perhaps a treble if we win the next game – would complete a great season.

The game began in amazing fashion. Holden gave the ball away weakly on the left wing, and the ball was belted back to veteran keeper Canoville. However, he approached it tentatively, giving Oliva enough time to get to it first. He tapped the ball across to unmarked partner Nuno, who couldn't miss the open net. A goal inside 50 seconds. Nuno hit the crossbar minutes later on a break led by Lesage, and Rushden kept the pressure on. There were several blocked shots in a scramble in our area in the 17th, with Olive unlucky not to score. However, they soon equalised through Herbert, with a shot from Josifovski parried to him. Nuno was a constant threat, and Holden had a shot cleared off the line late in the half. Oliva hit the bar in injury time, and Nuno forced the sixth save of the half from Canoville. Nonetheless, it was still level at half time.

The second half saw Rushden continue to dominate. Oliva and Holden had three shots saved in the first five minutes, and there were more to come. A free from Holden and a driving shot from Nuno – his ninth – were equally unable to beat Canoville. The 35-year-old England international was looking unbeatable. Nuno's tenth shot was saved, as was Oliva's sixth as we entered the final twenty minutes. Unbelievably, cruelly, with just four minutes to go, United received a soft penalty. Despite nineteen on-target shots, we had just one goal, yet they were handed the Cup on a silver platter. England defender John Simpson took the kick...and put it wide! It was a bizarre choice, since he's not at all good from the spot, though I can't complain.

That meant we went to extra time, which was a worry with the Champions League Final only days away. I replaced Oliva with Al-Abdullah to keep him a little more fresh, though I had to leave on key players like Lesage and Holden. Al-Abdullah had a shot in the first minute of extra time, but Super-Canoville made yet another save. Herbert skimmed the bar at the other end in an otherwise quiet half. With fifteen minutes to go, we looked set for penalties, and with Mete making a fine save, we looked to have held on. With just two minutes to go, substitute Mick Oakley, who replaced Chris Josifovski, collected a pass in the area. The former England striker made no mistake, and we had no answer. No goals after the early gift despite nineteen on-target shots, and a 1-2 FA Cup loss.

Valencia came in with a massive ₤33.5M bid for midfielder Fabien Lesage. He has been upset all season about not being allowed to move, and again demanded the chance to talk. I caved in and agreed on the transfer, which will see another key player depart.

Atlético, Champions League Final, Neutral

We have the chance to make amends for our Champions League Final loss last season, albeit against a different side. Vargas is still on international duty, while Aros, Spellman and Pál are not in sufficient condition to play. That forced me to play James Gibbs as a midfielder. Atlético have won the Primera Division after finishing third last season. Ex-Rushden players Erik Berg, Eivind Hoas, Anthony Ettori and Ollie Burton are in a senior side which includes stars like China forward Wang Zheng, Italy left back Nicola Adani and Holland midfielder Daniel Bosschart. They are, thankfully, missing USA keeper Danny Curtin (international duty) and Spain striker Sandro (injured).

Ettori missed a shot in the opening minute from a counter-attack led by Zheng. They swapped roles a couple of minutes later, this time forcing Mete to save. A free kick forced our keeper to work again, as we were certainly on the back foot. A couple of frees from Holden and a wild effort from Oliva were as close as we could come to a chance. However, just on half time, Lesage – in his final Rushden game – charged through the midfield and sent through an incisive ball for Oliva. He used his pace to break free of the defence, and put us ahead.

With twenty minutes to go, there was no change in the 1-0 scoreline. They took off striker Wang Zheng and replaced him with unknown Ander Perez. Oliva looked to have doubled the lead from a scramble in the area, but it was ruled out. It didn't matter, though. Atlético had gone silent after our first goal, and Nuno scored in the 82nd, ensuring our very first Champions League win. Lesage was Man of the Match in his final game for the Diamonds.

[Donners]

The season in review

Summary

| Pos   | Inf   | Team           |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | ECC   | Rushden        |       | 38    | 20    | 14    | 4     | 59    | 28    | +31   | 74    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | ECC   | Newcastle      |       | 38    | 19    | 10    | 9     | 50    | 25    | +25   | 67    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   | ECC   | West Ham       |       | 38    | 17    | 16    | 5     | 43    | 28    | +15   | 67    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   | ECC   | Arsenal        |       | 38    | 20    | 6     | 12    | 50    | 34    | +16   | 66    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   | UC    | Man Utd        |       | 38    | 17    | 11    | 10    | 50    | 36    | +14   | 62    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   | UC    | Sunderland     |       | 38    | 15    | 14    | 9     | 39    | 31    | +8    | 59    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   | ITC   | Barnsley       |       | 38    | 15    | 9     | 14    | 32    | 27    | +5    | 54    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Huddersfield   |       | 38    | 15    | 9     | 14    | 43    | 51    | -8    | 54    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Middlesbrough  |       | 38    | 12    | 16    | 10    | 38    | 34    | +4    | 52    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Liverpool      |       | 38    | 14    | 10    | 14    | 38    | 38    | 0     | 52    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Chelsea        |       | 38    | 13    | 13    | 12    | 35    | 35    | 0     | 52    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Bolton         |       | 38    | 12    | 12    | 14    | 41    | 36    | +5    | 48    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Tottenham      |       | 38    | 11    | 15    | 12    | 33    | 37    | -4    | 48    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | MK Dons        |       | 38    | 11    | 13    | 14    | 36    | 46    | -10   | 46    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Man City       |       | 38    | 12    | 9     | 17    | 39    | 45    | -6    | 45    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Leicester      |       | 38    | 9     | 15    | 14    | 33    | 42    | -9    | 42    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Wigan          |       | 38    | 9     | 15    | 14    | 25    | 41    | -16   | 42    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  | R     | Cardiff        |       | 38    | 9     | 14    | 15    | 26    | 37    | -11   | 41    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  | R     | Crystal Palace |       | 38    | 7     | 10    | 21    | 26    | 47    | -21   | 31    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  | R     | Everton        |       | 38    | 2     | 11    | 25    | 25    | 63    | -38   | 17    | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

| Pkd   | Inf   | Name                | Apps  | Gls   | Ast   | MoM   | Pas   | Tck   | Drb   | Sh T  | Av Rat| 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| AMC   | Hol   | Fabien Lesage       | 43 (3)| 12    | 11    | 7     | 76%   | 0.77  | 1.67  | 50%   | 7.43  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DL    | Hol   | Sergio Santaella    | 43 (1)| 3     | 9     | -     | 75%   | 2.43  | 0.75  | 50%   | 7.25  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MR    | Hol   | Nicky Gardner       | 38    | 4     | 12    | 2     | 70%   | 1.03  | 3.01  | 44%   | 7.42  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC    | Hol   | Craig Sinclair      | 36 (1)| 6     | -     | 9     | 64%   | 4.18  | 0.33  | 55%   | 7.65  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S4    | Hol   | Abdullah Al-Dossari | 36    | -     | -     | -     | 54%   | -     | -     | -     | 6.86  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC    | Hol   | José Antonio Oliva  | 35 (5)| 27    | 7     | 2     | 73%   | 0.12  | 1.57  | 59%   | 7.08  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| ML    | Hol   | Dominic Holden      | 34 (3)| 4     | 12    | 4     | 71%   | 1.26  | 3.17  | 50%   | 7.46  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC    | Hol   | Pereira             | 34 (1)| -     | 1     | 3     | 67%   | 3.09  | 0.34  | -     | 7.40  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     | Hol   | Attila Pál          | 32    | 2     | 6     | 2     | 76%   | 2.47  | 0.45  | 46%   | 7.19  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     | Hol   | Dan Spellman        | 31 (3)| 3     | 7     | -     | 74%   | 2.58  | 0.64  | 46%   | 7.18  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S3    | Hol   | Alban Nushi         | 29 (1)| -     | 2     | 1     | 65%   | 4.16  | 0.30  | -     | 7.37  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     | Hol   | Petr Zbozinek       | 27 (2)| 2     | 5     | 1     | 75%   | 1.70  | 1.27  | 34%   | 7.10  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC    | Hol   | Nuno                | 26 (7)| 13    | 3     | 1     | 70%   | 0.40  | 1.88  | 48%   | 6.85  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     |       | Rónald Vargas       | 24 (4)| 4     | 8     | -     | 72%   | 1.13  | 1.21  | 56%   | 7.11  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| GK    | Hol   | Inanç Mete          | 22    | -     | 1     | 1     | 49%   | -     | -     | -     | 6.95  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S2    | Hol   | Kristian Strand     | 20 (3)| 2     | 4     | -     | 73%   | 1.36  | 2.15  | 33%   | 7.00  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S7    | Hol   | Nikolay Romanov     | 20 (1)| -     | -     | 1     | 67%   | 3.81  | 0.15  | -     | 7.29  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S6    | Hol   | Alexis Aros         | 19 (3)| 6     | 4     | 5     | 74%   | 1.46  | 1.46  | 58%   | 7.45  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MC    | Wnt   | James Gibbs         | 16 (1)| -     | -     | 1     | 73%   | 3.93  | 0.18  | -     | 7.06  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DR    | Hol   | Lajos Tóth          | 15    | -     | -     | -     | 76%   | 2.44  | 0.59  | -     | 6.80  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     | Inj   | Eugeny Mikhailov    | 13 (5)| 9     | 5     | 2     | 66%   | 0.32  | 0.96  | 62%   | 6.94  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S5    | Hol   | Anderson            | 13 (2)| 6     | 1     | -     | 75%   | 0.16  | 1.98  | 61%   | 7.00  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S1    | Hol   | Yaser Al-Abdullah   | 10 (6)| 6     | 1     | -     | 72%   | 0.17  | 1.19  | 66%   | 6.94  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     | Inj   | Julian Marsden      | 6 (6) | -     | -     | -     | 62%   | 1.25  | 1.66  | -     | 6.67  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     | Hol   | Samba Fofana        | 5 (1) | 1     | 1     | -     | 71%   | 0.20  | 1.00  | 53%   | 7.00  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     | Wnt   | Mark Little         | 3 (1) | -     | -     | -     | 75%   | 1.89  | -     | -     | 6.50  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     | Yth   | Lee Morgan          | 3     | -     | -     | -     | 65%   | -     | -     | -     | 7.00  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     | Loa   | Rafael              | 3     | -     | -     | -     | 78%   | -     | 0.35  | -     | 6.67  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     | Wnt   | Bjørn Rexhaj        | 2     | 1     | -     | -     | 82%   | -     | 2.50  | -     | 6.50  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     |       | Tom Robson          | 2     | -     | -     | -     | 80%   | 4.67  | -     | -     | 7.00  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -     | Wnt   | Jesús González      | 1     | -     | -     | -     | -     | -     | -     | -     | 5.00  | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Lesage was third as PFA Player of the Year, joining Santaella in the Team of the Season. Sadly, both are departing at the end of the season. Holden was runner-up as Champions League Best Player, Oliva won the Golden Boot and Sinclair, Gardner and Lesage made the Dream Team. I was Manager of the Year (six in seven seasons).

Another successful season, with our sixth EPL title and first win in the Champions League. Dropping the FA Cup in such a frustrating game was a disappointing end, though it is relatively minor in the scheme of things.

The squad was something of a mixed bag this season. The keepers weren't really all that good, with Mete taking over from Al-Dossari towards the end of the season. They weren't overly bad, just not particularly good either. We were very strong at centre back, with Sinclair particularly brilliant. Romanov missed a fair bit of time through injury, yet was still a solid option when fit, and Nushi and Pereira were excellent. The full back position was more of a worry, with Nilsen injured then departing, and Santaella also injured and about to leave. We really need to get that sorted out.

Gardner and Holden were great on the wings, with Zbozinek reviving his career to play a role. Unfortunately, Strand has not come along as I'd hoped. Lesage and Aros were deadly as ever, though at least one and perhaps both will leave. Aros was good when he played, but he is getting quite old and injury-prone. Oliva justified his new contract with a 27-goal season, and had good support from Anderson, Nuno, Mikhailov and Al-Abdullah (who missed a lot of games).

Both the Under-18s and Reserves won their leagues, with 17-year-old forward Jimmy Everitt tearing apart all opponents.

With so many players departing, it's going to be really tough to match this effort.

Around the world: major awards and results

Rushden Supporters’ Player of the Year:

Jose Antonio Oliva

World Player of the Year:

Carlos Lencina (Milan)

World Footballer of the Year:

Jose Maria Zabalza (Real Madrid)

England:

Winner: Rushden \o/

Relegated: Everton, Crystal Palace, Cardiff

Promoted: Aston Villa, Leeds, Sheffield United

Spain:

Atlético

Italy

Milan

Champions League:

Rushden \o/

UEFA Cup:

Sevilla

[Donners]

Players In

| Date               | Person             | From                 | Fee                | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Herreros, David    | Celta                | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Haddad, Abderrazak | Fiorentina           | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Legrand, Jacques   | Istres               | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Meland, Erik       | Rosenborg            | £950K              | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14.7.2037          | Duff, Andy         | Ross County          | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16.7.2037          | Avila, Ricardo     | Werder Bremen        | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17.7.2037          | Figueroa, Rafael   | León                 | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.7.2037          | Mertakkas, Michalis| Apollon L.           | £75K               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.8.2037           | Tate, Dave         | Cork City            | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 31.8.2037          | Molina, Fabián     | Universidad de Chile | £14K               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13.10.2037         | van Strien, Gerard | Free Transfer        | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.12.2037          | Olsen, Jan Fredrik | Odd Grenland         | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.12.2037          | Haug, Morten       | Start                | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.1.2038           | Guild, Gary        | Barnsley             | £1M                | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.1.2038           | Knol, Erik         | Murcia               | £1.9M              | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.1.2038           | van Persie, Marco  | Livorno              | £3.2M              | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.1.2038           | Né, Mohamed        | Recreativo           | £3.3M              | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.1.2038           | Majrashi, Mohammed | Real Madrid          | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14.1.2038          | Ulmer, Robert      | Admira Wacker        | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15.3.2038          | Stiansen, Eivind   | Start                | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total              |                      | £10.5M             | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Players Out

| Date               | Person                   | To                 | Fee                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2037          | Barnett, Lee             | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Paunovic, Dusan          | Lyon               | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | De Vito, Davide          | Cesena             | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Santaella, Sergio        | Valencia           | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Romanov, Nikolay         | Udinese            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Lesage, Fabien           | Valencia           | £33.5M             | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Averjanov, Marat         | West Brom          | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Al-Abdullah, Yaser       | Newcastle          | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Hopfer, Michael          | Norwich            | £2M                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Portillo, Juan Francisco | AZ                 | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Larrainzar, Denis        | Valencia           | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Mínguez, Miguel          | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Carril, Alexis           | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Wheeldon, Luke           | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Garner, David            | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Stewart, Justin          | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Kirk, Sam                | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14.7.2037          | Fofana, Samba            | Milan              | £7.5M              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16.7.2037          | Nushi, Alban             | Leeds              | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.8.2037           | Morgan, Lee              | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.1.2038           | Al-Dossari, Abdullah     | West Ham           | £7M                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9.1.2038           | Henden, Even             | Napoli             | £5.5M              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total                    |                    | £56M               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Loans Out

| Date               | Person                | To                 | Fee                | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19.6.2037          | Edman, Per            | Aberdeen           | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 23.6.2037          | Robson, Tom           | Dundee Utd         | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 25.6.2037          | Rexhaj, Bjørn         | Hearts             | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.7.2037          | Figueroa, Rafael      | Offenbach          | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 21.7.2037          | Haddad, Abderrazak    | Offenbach          | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 23.7.2037          | Saad, Wisam           | Offenbach          | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2.8.2037           | Gandía, Antonio       | Clyde              | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5.8.2037           | Legrand, Jacques      | Portsmouth         | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8.8.2037           | Clément, Jean-Charles | Clyde              | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8.8.2037           | Bigné, Yassin         | Yeovil             | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 26.8.2037          | Marsden, Julian       | Huddersfield       | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 27.8.2037          | de Haan, Dennis       | Burnley            | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 31.8.2037          | Molina, Fabián        | Offenbach          | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 31.8.2037          | Williams, Lee         | Airdrie Utd        | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.9.2037           | Tóth, Lajos           | Brentford          | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 24.1.2038          | Duff, Andy            | Yeovil             | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3.2.2038           | Tóth, Lajos           | Ipswich            | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 23.2.2038          | Beale, Alex           | Q.P.R.             | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10.3.2038          | Legrand, Jacques      | Hull               | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total                 |                    | £0                 | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Just one of our new signings played a decent amount of senior football this season, though at least it was a good one – Mete did well enough to displace Al-Dossari as first choice keeper for some big games. ₤1.5M purchase Tom Robson showed some good signs and made his début late. Of the others, teenage forward Jimmy Everitt looks a superstar in the making, killing opposition sides with 42 goals for the season in the Under-18s and reserves.

We made a fair bit of money from only a handful of sales. Losing Uruno looks a mistake in some respects with fellow right back Nilsen also going, and a good season from Uruno in Spain. However, it was certainly better than all the players we lost for free, with Jennings, Szili, Morales and Dahl becoming regulars at high-level clubs, and Semb scoring 20 goals in the SPL.

Most of our loaned-out players had success, none more so than Larrainzar, who scored 18 La Liga goals. Tóth made the remarkable jump from a poor effort at a League One side to being a regular in the final stages of a title in and the Champions League. Henden was a regular in Everton's relegated side, and Hulshoff did okay for fellow EPL side West Ham.

[Donners]

Pre-season, 37/38

The departures continued, with Yaser Al-Abdullah rejecting a Rushden contract to sign with Newcastle, Denis Larrainzar choosing to move to Valencia and Juan Portillo electing to join AZ. A particularly big loss was 25-year-old defender Alban Nushi joining Leeds. These were in addition to the already confirmed departures of Dusan Paunovic, Davide De Vito, Sergio Santaella, Nikolai Romanov, Michael Hopfner and Fabien Lesage.

I rejected a ₤22.5M bid for Dominic Holden, several bids up to ₤8M for Jesus Gonzalez and further bids for defenders Fredrick Prahl and Nikos Skouras. I did, however, sell striker Samba Fofana to Milan for ₤7.5M. I eventually re-signed veterans Alexis Aros and Pereira with pay cuts. The big re-signing was winger Dominic Holden, now the second-highest paid player at the club. Nuno also had a few years added onto his contract.

₤41M was paid out to shareholders after another profitable season, with yet another stadium expansion. We moved up to third place in the European club rankings and were named 7-4 favourites to take the title despite losing so many key players.

[Donners]

The Club

Home Ground: Nene Park, Irthlingborough - capacity 48,550

Rivals: Kettering, Northampton (fierce); Peterborough, Oxford, Luton

Reputation: Continental

Estimated Value: ₤155M

Balance ₤927M

Transfer Budget: ₤427M

Media Prediction: 1st

Board Expectation: Win the title

Fan Expectation: Win the title

Staff

Chairman: Ryan Woods

Assistant Manager: Nazzareno Provenzano

Coaches: Gjoko Andonov, Robert Bicanic, Cosimo Bodini, Dmitry Belkov. Greg Paterson, Vasily Makarov, Rudiger Bruns, Matteo Pizzi (General)

Physios: Carmine Laurenza, Edson

Scouts: Andy McWilliam, Drew Black, Danny Russell, Martin Kaya, Esteban, Fraser Soutar

The Squad

| Pkd     | Inf     | Name                 | No.     | Squad Status | Cnt     | Weekly wage | Expires   | Value   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| GK      |         | Abdullah Al-Dossari  | 1       | First Team   | F/T     | £19,250     | 30.6.2038 | £10.25M | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC      |         | Pereira              | 13      | First Team   | F/T     | £28,000     | 30.6.2039 | £2M     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC      | Wnt     | Craig Sinclair       | 6       | First Team   | F/T     | £19,250     | 30.6.2039 | £14.75M | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC      | Wnt     | Fredrik Prahl        | -       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £2,400      | 30.6.2038 | £3.9M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DMC     | Wnt     | Attila Pál           | 37      | First Team   | F/T     | £21,500     | 30.6.2041 | £13.5M  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DMC     | Bid     | James Gibbs          | 17      | Backup       | F/T     | £1,600      | 30.6.2039 | £3.7M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MR      | Unh     | Nicky Gardner        | 31      | Rotation     | F/T     | £15,000     | 30.6.2038 | £14.75M | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| ML      | Wnt     | Dominic Holden       | 19      | First Team   | F/T     | £42,500     | 30.6.2041 | £17.75M | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| AMC     |         | Alexis Aros          | 15      | First Team   | F/T     | £24,000     | 30.6.2038 | £1.3M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC      |         | José Antonio Oliva   | 18      | First Team   | F/T     | £45,000     | 30.6.2039 | £13.5M  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC      |         | Nuno                 | 39      | Rotation     | F/T     | £12,500     | 30.6.2041 | £10M    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S1      | Wnt     | Nikos Skouras        | -       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £825        | 30.6.2040 | £1.9M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S2      | Inj     | Ricardo Avila        | -       | Backup       | F/T     | £25,000     | 30.6.2040 | £6M     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S3      | Wnt     | Nenad Lekovic        | -       | Rotation     | F/T     | £22,500     | 30.6.2041 | £3.9M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S4      | Bid     | Petr Zbozinek        | 34      | Backup       | F/T     | £10,000     | 30.6.2040 | £3.6M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S5      | Wnt     | Anderson             | 20      | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £2,600      | 30.6.2039 | £5.5M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Julian Marsden       | 16      | Backup       | F/T     | £19,000     | 30.6.2038 | £3.4M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Richard Hulshoff     | -       | Backup       | F/T     | £25,500     | 30.6.2038 | £4.2M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       |         | Rónald Vargas        | 23      | First Team   | F/T     | £33,500     | 30.6.2038 | £13.5M  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       |         | Inanç Mete           | 33      | Rotation     | F/T     | £7,250      | 30.6.2039 | £2.9M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Inj     | Kim Schouw           | 35      | Backup       | F/T     | £5,500      | 30.6.2038 | £2.1M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Inj     | Dan Spellman         | 4       | Rotation     | F/T     | £25,500     | 30.6.2039 | £8.25M  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Eugeny Mikhailov     | 9       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £11,000     | 30.6.2039 | £12.75M | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Jesús González       | 32      | Backup       | F/T     | £12,250     | 30.6.2041 | £4M     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Kristian Strand      | 30      | Rotation     | F/T     | £8,000      | 30.6.2040 | £11.5M  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Inj     | Rafael               | 41      | Youngster    | F/T     | £7,750      | 30.6.2039 | £4.1M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Loa     | Aslan Genç           | -       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £3,000      | 30.6.2039 | £3.1M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Bid     | Mario Milojevic      | -       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £750        | 30.6.2038 | £2.9M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       |         | David Herreros       | -       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £6,000      | 30.6.2039 | £2.6M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wp      | Abderrazak Haddad    | -       | Rotation     | F/T     | £3,000      | 30.6.2039 | £6.5M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       |         | Even Henden          | -       | Rotation     | F/T     | £6,500      | 30.6.2040 | £2.7M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Inge Holm            | -       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £3,300      | 30.6.2041 | £725K   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Tom Robson           | 25      | Youngster    | F/T     | £2,000      | 30.6.2039 | £2M     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Dennis de Haan       | 3       | Youngster    | F/T     | £3,500      | 30.6.2039 | £1.4M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Antonio Gandía       | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £1,500      | 30.6.2039 | £1.3M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Bjørn Rexhaj         | 14      | Youngster    | F/T     | £975        | 30.6.2038 | £4.4M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Michalis Mertakkas   | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £2,400      | 30.6.2041 | £75K    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Loa     | Eddie Gray           | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £425        | 30.6.2038 | £850K   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Anastasios Maladenis | -       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £1,100      | 30.6.2040 | £2M     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wp      | Wisam Saad           | -       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £500        | 30.6.2039 | £2.4M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Per Edman            | 2       | Youngster    | F/T     | £375        | 30.6.2040 | £350K   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       |         | Erik Meland          | -       | Backup       | F/T     | £2,100      | 30.6.2040 | £950K   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Inj     | Finn Eira            | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £375        | 30.6.2039 | £1.9M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       |         | Jimmy Everitt        | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £275        | 30.6.2040 | £3M     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Bid     | Mark Little          | 42      | Youngster    | F/T     | £375        | 30.6.2038 | £700K   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Yth     | Brian Johnson        | -       | Youngster    | Yth     | £110        | 30.6.2038 | -       | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Yth     | John Spencer         | -       | Youngster    | Yth     | £110        | 30.6.2038 | -       | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Lee Williams         | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £350        | 30.6.2038 | £750K   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Lajos Tóth           | 29      | Youngster    | F/T     | £400        | 30.6.2038 | £2.2M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Loa     | Alex Beale           | 43      | Youngster    | F/T     | £1,100      | 30.6.2038 | £2M     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Jacques Legrand      | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £3,300      | 30.6.2040 | £3.6M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Yassin Bigné         | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £375        | 30.6.2039 | £1.4M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Jean-Charles Clément | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £750        | 30.6.2039 | £250K   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wp      | Rafael Figueroa      | -       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £350        | 30.6.2040 | £3.4M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Inj     | Dave Tate            | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £1,000      | 30.6.2040 | £475K   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Inj     | Thorbjørn Sødahl     | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £800        | 30.6.2039 | £2.5M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       |         | Nikos Tsichlas       | 40      | Youngster    | F/T     | £525        | 30.6.2039 | £3.2M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Loa     | Nelson               | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £375        | 30.6.2040 | £775K   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       |         | Andy Duff            | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £425        | 30.6.2040 | £750K   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Valentin Ouattara    | -       | Youngster    | F/T     | £375        | 30.6.2039 | £5.25M  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Wage Budget: £5,001,078

Total Weekly Wages at 8/8/37: £489,329

Senior Players: 16

Reserve Players: 44

U-18 Players: 13

[Note that players classed as Backup, Prospect or Youngster will not be profiled (with a few exceptions), and are regarded as reserve players]

Player [Pos, Nationality, Height, Age] – Rushden Seasons, Rushden League Games, Rushden League Goals

Goalkeepers

Abdullah Al-Dossari [GK, SAU – 43 Caps, 183cm, 29] – 7, 146, 0

Was quite disappointing last season, playing the majority of league games without ever being a dominant force, and losing his spot to Mete for the big final games. He has the edge with experience, but Mete is definitely catching up. In the final year of his contract.

Champions League Dream Team 33/34, 35/36; Premier League Team of the Season 34/35, 35/36; UEFA Goalkeeper of the Year third placed 2036

#6 Most Rushden Games

Aslan Genç [GK, TUR – 1 Cap, 176cm, 23] – 4, 0, 0

Spent a year in Rushden's reserves after quite some time being loaned out. He has at least learned some English now, and may get a go in the senior team this season.

Inanç Mete [GK, TUR – 2 Caps, 185cm, 28] – 1, 11, 0

Stepped up to take over from Al-Dossari, though not enough to be the certain first choice. He made his international début last season.

Defenders

James Gibbs [D C/DM, ENG – 8 U21 caps, 181cm, 21] – 4, 15, 0

A highly promising player who is yet to turn that into performance for the seniors. He may play more of a role with a changed formation this season.

Even Henden [D R, NOR – 5 U21 caps, 174cm, 22] – 3, 0, 0

Has now spent two and a half seasons on loan, and played a full EPL season with Everton. He wasn't overly impressive there, but will get the chance to develop further in the reserves this season.

David Herreros [D R, ESP – capped at U19 level, 177cm, 22] – 0, 0, 0

A sluggish but strong right back, Herreros has managed a number of La Liga games with Celta and Alicante, and joins on a free transfer. He is a prospect who is unlikely to play much this season.

Inge Holm [D C, NOR – 8 U21 caps, 181cm, 21] – 3, 0, 0

Another young Norwegian, who has spent three seasons on loan in the SPL. He's very good on the mental side of the game, but lacks a bit of skill. May get a few games.

Anastasios Maladenis [D C, GRE – 4 Caps, 176cm, 21] – 2, 0, 0

Pretty good on loan at Airdrie Utd in the SPL last season, doing enough to make his international début. He's very solid in the defensive side of the game but lacks awareness.

Pereira [D C, BRA – 62 Caps, 181cm, 33] – 3, 67, 0

Should finish his career at Rushden, with a new two-year deal. He's still got decent pace and is a leader in the defence.

UEFA Defender of the Year runner up 2026

Fredrik Prahl [D C/DM, SWE – 9 Caps, 184cm, 21] – 2, 0, 0

Played a full season in Serie A with Brescia, and looked good enough to attract a lot of attention. With Romanov and Nushi gone, he's the most likely candidate to step into a senior role. However, with his terrific pace and passing, he would be better used as a defensive midfielder than centre back.

Craig Sinclair [D C, ENG – 20 Caps, 180cm, 23] – 4, 74, 4

Had his best season at the club, with 21 league games and 37 in total. He managed six goals from frees and headers, and was Man of the Match nine times. A key part of our defence.

Premier League Young Player of the Month January 2034, February 2034; Premier League Player of the Month December 2036; Champions League Best Player 2034, Champions League Dream Team 32/33, 33/34, 35/36, 36/37

Nikos Skouras [D/Wb L, GRE – 5 U21 caps, 178cm, 21] – 1, 0, 0

Played well on loan at Airdrie Utd and attracted a lot of bids. He is certainly the most skilful of our unproven defenders and should play quite a few games this season.

Dan Spellman [D/M RC, ENG – 37 Caps, 179cm, 24] – 6, 124, 5

Spellman had a great chance to step up with Nilsen on the way out, then went down with a broken leg. He will miss the first half of this season, but will be valuable when he returns.

Premier League Young Player of the Month October 2031, August 2032, September 2032; PFA Young Player of the Year runner-up 2033, 2034; Champions League Dream Team 32/33, 35/36; Champions League Best Player 2033

Lajos Tóth [D R, HUN – 6 Caps, 187cm, 21] – 1, 8, 0

A quite average player who only played in the big games because we had no other options. Having struggled in League One, I doubt he'll play again.

Midfielders

Alexis Aros [AM C, CHI – 62 Caps, 180cm, 34] – 9, 203, 83

Showed signs of his age last season. He only played fifteen league games and while still dangerous, was far from his best. His wages are barely a third of their previous level, though this may still be his last season.

UEFA Midfielder of the Year 2029, 2033, 2035, 2036, runner-up 2030, third-placed 2032; Rushden Supporters' Player of the Year 29/30, 30/31, 32/33; Premier League Team of the Season 29/30, 30/31, 32/33; Premier League Golden Boot third placed 32/33; English PFA Player of the Year 2030, 2031, 2033; Champions League Dream Team 30/31, 32/33, 34/35; Champions League Best Player 34/35, runner-up 32/33; Copa America Dream Team 2031; Premier League Player of the Month August 2030, December 2030, January 2031, February 2032, December 2032, January 2033, February 2035, January 2036, March 2036;

#1 most Rushden Man of the Match awards; #1 most Rushden assists, #2 best Rushden average rating, #4 most Rushden games, #1 most Rushden goals

Ricardo Avila [AM/F C, ARG – 1 Cap, 184cm, 26] – 0, 0, 0

Something of a replacement for Lesage, in role if not ability, Avila joins on a free transfer from Werder Bremen. He was a pretty regular scorer there and certainly has the skill to play a playmaking role from attacking midfield. A handy player who will miss the first month with a back injury.

South American Team of the Year 2034, Werder Bremen Supporters' Player of the Year 34/35

Nicky Gardner [AM R, ENG – 18 Caps, 181cm, 24] – 6, 35, 4

Played a good season, though not nearly enough to justify his massive wage demands. With a few other options for the right wing, I may look to sell him.

SPL Young Player of the Month August 2032, April 2033; SPL Team of the Year 32/33; Premier League Young Player of the Month August 2034; Champions League Dream Team 36/37

Jesus González [AM C, VEN – 35 Caps, 178cm, 25] – 4, 54, 5

Coming off a season in which he did not play a single league game due to a series of injuries, one might think Gonzalez was on the way out. However, he has improved his skills, and with Lesage gone and Aros nearing the end, he has a chance to step up again. With four years left on his contract, it would be great if he found a regular role.

Dominic Holden [AM L, ENG – 5 Caps, 182cm, 23] – 5, 32, 4

Well and truly took the number one place for the left wing, after I said at the start of last season that he would only be a backup. He was terrific in Europe and earned a massive new contract. Now should have an even better season.

SPL Young Player of the Month February 2033, December 2033, January 2034; Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year runner-up 2034; Premier League Young Player of the Month October 2034, December 2034, March 2035; English PFA Young Player of the Year 2035; Champions League Best Player runner up 36/37

Nenad Lekovic [AM RC, SER – 14 Caps, 183cm, 25] – 3, 0, 0

A forgotten player to an extent, having spent three years in Spain earning his work permit. He's played over fifty La Liga games and his performances there don't seem up to his incredible skills. I hope that he can perform as well as he looks on paper.

Julian Marsden [AM RC, IRE – 33 Caps, 181cm, 28] – 6, 93, 12

Spent another season in the reserves and is only here because nobody will take him.

SPL Division One Young Player of the Month August 2029, January 2030, February 2030, April 2030; SPL Division One Young Player of the Year 2030; SPL Division One Team of the Year 29/30; SPL Young Player of the Month September 2030, November 2030, December 2030, April 2031; SPL Young Player of the Year 2031; SPL Team of the Year 30/31; Champions League Dream Team 32/33

Attila Pál [DM, HUN – 18 Caps, 182cm, 25] – 6, 55, 5

Missed a lot of last season with injury. He's now signed up for four more years, and should consolidate his position.

Kristian Strand [AM L, NOR – 9 Caps, 184cm, 22] – 4, 35, 3

Not as impressive as in his first senior season, losing his spot to Holden. He's a regular in my Norway side so I certainly get a good look at him, and he has the skill to return to form..

SPL Young Player of the Month October 2034, November 2034; Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year 2035; SPL Team of the Year 34/35; Premier League Young Player of the Month December 2035; Champions League Dream Team 35/36

Ronald Vargas [AM LC, COS – 75 Caps, 173cm, 30] – 7, 130, 15

Still a handy player in the side, especially with his long-range scoring ability. However, his age and the number of options I have for his positions mean I may not re-sign him.

Champions League Dream Team 32/33, 33/34; CONCACEF Gold Cup Dream Team 36/37

#10 Most Rushden Games

Petr Zbozinek [DM/AM RC, CZE – 44 Caps, 180cm, 28] – 4, 42, 3

Came back from a season on loan and slotted back into the side. His versatility saw him on the right wing and in midfield positions, and he did well when called upon.

Forwards

Anderson [sT, ITA – 7 U21 caps, 176cm, 20] – 2, 5, 0

Got a handful of league games, though his best performances came in cup competitions. He's a goal poacher, who is best used as an impact player.

SPL Young Player of the Month February 2036; Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year 2036

Richard Hulshoff [AM L/ST, HOL – 16 Caps, 177cm, 28] – 2, 11, 6

Spent last season on loan at West Ham and played 34 of 38 league games. He's still a talented backup to have, though no more than that.

Eugeny Mikhailov [sT, RUS – 7 Caps, 181cm, 24] – 4, 14, 4

Still valued at a massive amount despite never really performing exceptionally well. He got 13 La Liga goals in 35/36 and only managed four in the EPL last season, so needs to earn his spot.

Nuno [sT, POR – 8 Caps, 180cm, 25] – 6, 35, 12

Fell off dramatically after such a good finish to last season. He only scored four league goals in eighteen matches, and though he has a new contract, he must perform to stay in the side.

José Antonio Oliva [AM/F C, ESP – 21 Caps, 182cm, 26] – 7, 102, 54

I'm so glad I re-signed Oliva, since he has been a very dependable scorer for three seasons now. His league performance last season was not nearly as good as the season before, but he was the leading scorer in the Champions League for the second time.

English PFA Player of the Year 2036, runner-up 2035; Premier League Golden Boot equal winner 34/35; Premier League Team of the Season 34/35, 35/36; Champions League Dream Team 34/35, 35/36, 36/37; Champions League Golden Boot 34/35, 36/37; Supporters Player of the Year 34/35, 35/36

#2 most Rushden goals; =#7 most Rushden assists

Rafael [sT, POR – 13 U21 caps, 176cm, 21] – 2, 4, 0

Has played a handful of games now but lacks the well-rounded skills I require for a regular.

Bjørn Rexhaj [sT, NOR – 6 U21 caps, 174cm, 20] – 1, 0, 0

Looks like a huge prospect and will spend the season at Hearts to get senior experience.

Nikos Tsichlas [sT, GRE – 2 U21 caps, 178cm, 19] – 0, 0, 0

Scored at a regular rate for PAOK despite his youth, and will play in the reserves for a season.

Overview

We've lost a few senior players this season, and it will be up to existing squad members to step up to fill their losses. My 32nd year in charge will be one of my toughest.

Goalkeeping: Neither option was particularly impressive last season, though they were solid enough.

Defence: Full back is a disaster with no proven options and really nothing at right back. We also need to use at least one, and probably more, unproven centre backs. At least Sinclair and Pereira are still there.

Midfield: Stacks of options, though I wouldn't mind another defensive midfielder.

Forward: Oliva is the only certainty, with the others to rotate through depending on form.

First XI

I've had to change the formation, with three centre backs and two defensive midfielders instead of four at the back and one central midfielder. I'm not happy about it, as I want to play Skouras, and will change it if we don't start well.

GK: Abdullah Al-Dossari

CB: Fredrik Prahl

CB: Craig Sinclair

CB: Pereira

DM: Attila Pal

DM: James Gibbs

RM: Nicky Gardner

LM: Dominic Holden

AM: Alexis Aros

CF: Jose Antonio Oliva

CF: Nuno

Sub: Nikos Skouras

Sub: Ricardo Avila

Sub: Nenad Lekovic

Sub: Petr Zbozinek

Sub: Anderson

Captain: Abdullah Al-Dossari, Pereira

Penalties: Alexis Aros, Petr Zbozinek, Nikos Skouras

Free Kicks: (L) Kristian Strand, Dominic Holden; ® Alexis Aros, Craig Sinclair

Corners: (L) Jesus Gonzalez, Richard Hulshoff; ® Pereira, James Gibbs

Throw Ins: (L) Pereira, Kristian Strand; ® Nenad Lekovic, Nicky Gardner

Playmaker: Alexis Aros, Ricardo Avila

Target Man: Craig Sinclair, Pereira

[Donners]

August, 2037

Manchester United, Community Shield, Neutral

Having beaten Newcastle for the Shield in the last two seasons, we face United. Our last encounter for the Shield was back in 2031, where we were the victors. United were fifth last season and won the FA Cup under manager Fernando Torres. Torres got rid of Norway defender Svein Sotberg (free to Lazio, having played just four league games since his ₤9.25M move to United) and ex-Holland winger Hein Frijters (released), and sold Scotland centre back David Hill to Real Madrid for ₤14M. In addition to stealing MK Dons' England midfielder Jimmy Huckerby for free, he bought Turkey centre back Tanyildiz Emre from Real Madrid (₤6M), England striker Chris Preston (₤10M from Chelsea) and Brazil striker Anderson (₤6.25M from Arsenal, having played just 2 league games since they bought him for ₤14.25M).

United took just six minutes to score with their first chance, with a long pass finding forward Neal Herbert unopposed on the edge of the area. Al-Dossari had to save when Sinclair was easily beaten, and again when the rattled defender gave the ball away. Holden and Nuno combined to win a corner, and though Gardner headed it in, he was ruled to have committed a foul. Only a bad shot from United's Anderson prevented Rushden giving away a goal just before half time. Were it not for Al-Dossari, we would have been several goals down. United kept control in the second half, albeit with fewer chances. Oliva had a late chance to equalise from a tight angle, but missed everything. A worrying start to the season.

Bolton, Premier League, Home

Bolton were 12th last season under new manager Andrew Woodward. They made four significant sales – Austria defender Damir Aigner (₤3.9M to Palermo), Scotland utility Marco Fox (₤7.75M to Leeds), midfielder Michael Elam (₤3.9M to Huddersfield) and Denmark defender Anders Hopfner (₤4.9M to Barcelona). Despite earning ₤20.5M from those, their purchases were very conservative, picking up just veteran France forward Sebastian Rabat (free from AEK), and a couple of cheap backups.

As if we hadn't already had a bad start to the season, Oliva went off injured in the third minute. Substitute Hulshoff made a great solo run but could not beat the keeper at the end of it. Sinclair had a free on the very edge of the area in the 17th and was denied by a diving keeper. Our keeper made a dive of his own ten minutes later, pouncing on a loose ball in the area. Al-Dossari saved the day again in the 37th, punching clear a close-range header. The second half, like the previous game, was quite uneventful, and it remained scoreless at the final whistle.

Sevilla, UEFA Super Cup, Neutral

Sevilla have finished down the table a fair way in La Liga, though they won the UEFA Cup last season. Among their stars are two England internationals, midfielder Chris Gibb and centre back Paul Mudge, plus Spain keeper Domingo Zubillaga and Italy striker Matteo Durante. They also have former Rushden pair Tom Jennings and Lebo Thwala. We were missing Oliva, with Anderson partnering Mikhailov. Mete replaced the disappointing Al-Dossari.

Aside from a free from Sinclair, Sevilla had the early attacks. They took the lead through Durante in the 38th, then scored again just before half time. With Thwala imposing in defence, we really never threatened. Mikhailov was terrible, and was dropped to the reserves after the game.

Chelsea, Premier League, Home

New manager Paddy McNally could not get Chelsea out of the bottom half after taking over in December last year, but has now had the chance to change the squad around. He sold a lot more than he bought, with big names like Wales forward Noel Wright (₤25M to Newcastle), England striker Chris Preston (₤10M to Manchester United), Scotland forward Steven Rae (₤10.5M to Lazio), 40-year-old former Brazil keeper Fabiano and former Austria forward Christian Ogris (released) all gone, along with backup striker Fred van Bremen (₤4.5M to PSV) and left back David Sadler (₤3.7M to Leicester). Despite losing so many forwards, they only added one – teenage Newcastle striker Scott Hunter (₤9M), and had to loan Newcastle striker Sean Wheeler. They did strengthen the rest of the squad with the likes of Sweden midfielder Par Dahl (₤4.5M from Lazio), Norway midfielder Trond Fuglestad (₤3.5M from Birmingham) and Belarus defender Yury Kuleshov (₤1.3M from Atlético).

Rushden started well with shots to Strand and Hulshoff, and it got better when Nuno followed up his own parried shot to score in the 14th. Prahl made a great tackle on former Rushden midfielder Martin Østensen to keep out Chelsea's only attack of the first half. Nuno used his pace to add a second a few minutes into the second half, and missed three more chances to complete a hat-trick. Chelsea hit back with their first goal in the 64th, then promptly lost a player due to an errant elbow. Nuno finally completed the win, and his hat-trick, in the final minute.

I loaned out Julian Marsden to Sunderland and thought that I had arranged a ₤20M sale of Gardner to Roma. However, he apparently has something against Italian clubs, and rejected their contract offer.

It is really hard to assess the squad after the first month. We were missing Spellman and Avila, and had two one-off games – the Super Cup and Community Shield.

[mark wilson27]

Impressive story Donners, looking forward to alot more

[Donners]

Thanks. I'm back after my stint away from home with work, so hopefully there won't be any more long gaps between updates.

September, 2037

Galatasaray, Champions League Group B, Away

Galatasaray are our first opponents in the group stage of the Champions League. The Turkish side have not made it past this stage in fifteen years and most of their squad's value is in ₤9M Russia striker Victor Igonin and Argentina forward Cristian San Roman.

Despite those two prominent threats, it was young Turkey striker Hasturk Hakan who made an early impact, scoring in the 20th. We recovered from a slow start with a long pass from Craig Sinclair which was misjudged by a defender, allowing Kristian Strand a simple header to level the scores. Zbozinek, Nuno and Vargas were all denied in a frustrating second half, and it took a 20-yard free from Strand to finally put us ahead. With Pereira solid in defence, we held on for the win.

Sheffield United, Premier League, Home

Sheffield United are back from three years in the Championship. Wales striker Adam Rudge, keeper Jose Sainz and midfielder Neil Webb were all important parts of that promotion. They held onto all their senior players and added defender Sean Jeffrey (₤4.1M from Aberdeen), Ajax midfielder Peter Roorda (₤1.1M) and Northern Ireland striker Chris Walker (free from Stoke). Ricardo Avila made his début for Rushden.

It only took three minutes for Rushden to hit the lead, albeit thanks to a Gardner cross being knocked in by a defender. Mete was challenged by Rudge just a minute later and they looked a chance to level the scores for a while. However, they racked up eight yellow cards, and with two players sent off by the 50th minute, we were able to cruise to a 1-0 win.

Middlesbrough, Premier League, Away

Middlesbrough scraped into the top half last season, despite a lack of scoring options. Having offloaded former Wales winger John Childs (₤625K to Norwich) and former Ireland winger Paul Barker (₤275K to Blackburn), they made a number of signings. A pair of former Rushden strikers - Phil Conroy (₤3.9M from Arsenal) and Simon Semb (₤7.5M from Rangers) – came to boost their scoring options, along with two attacking midfielders, Portugal's Gomes (₤4.3M from Levante) and Tunisia's Youness Anton (free from Grenoble).

We took the lead in just two minutes, with a neat pass from Gonzalez allowing Nuno to sneak a soft shot behind the keeper at the near post. Nuno was gifted a second ten minutes later when the keeper ran out to join a scramble in the area, and Nuno was able to flick a shot past the pack and into the open goal. Nuno had several more shots to end the half, while Middlesbrough's only chance came from a defensive error from Strand. Al-Dossari made the save in his first game for a month. With thirteen minutes to go, a good pass across the area from Nuno allowed substitute Anderson to score our third. Former Rushden striker Phil Conroy got a late consolation for Middlesbrough.

Liverpool, Premier League, Away

Liverpool slumped to 10th last season, which was their worst finish since returning to the EPL. Manager Dave Walker was promptly sacked, and replaced by 64-year-old Luke Lovegrove, who was himself sacked by MK Dons in February. He made the hard calls, axing veteran Scotland midfielder Peter Molyneux and selling Poland striker Lukasz Sobolewski (₤5.5M to Barcelona) and keeper Paul Spencer (₤4.3M to Rangers). He signed just four players, but expensive ones. Two came from Atlético, England and former Rushden forward Ollie Burton (₤9.25M) and Bulgaria centre back (₤3M), along with veteran Turkey midfielder Ersin Ilhan (₤2.4M from Newcastle) and Chile striker Freddy Vargas (₤15.75M from Pumas). At this early stage, they are in top spot.

Long passes caused problems for Rushden, with Al-Dossari having to make a great save in the third minute. Both sides managed a few pot-shots with minimal genuine chances in the first half. It took an error from Strand, knocking a corner in from the near post a few minutes into the second half, to give Liverpool the lead. Freddie Vargas earned their second goal in the 72nd to end our chances of a comeback, particularly with Anderson missing a sitter after being set up by Lekovic. Al-Dossari came out too far to allow Liverpool to score a third in the final minutes. Pereira managed a last-second goal which was effectively meaningless.

Betis, Champions League Group B, Home

The second opponent in our group, Betis have been very much up and down in La Liga over the last decade, but managed to come fourth last season. Their side is not as star-studded as some, with Spain forward Gorka Diez, keeper Alberto Fuentes and Holland forward Rachid Hoekman the stand-outs.

An early red card for Betis gave us an advantage and though it was scoreless at half time, Hulshoff put us ahead a few minutes after the break. From there, we had all the attacks, and substitute Anderson rose to head in a corner from Strand to seal the win.

Sunderland, Premier League, Home

Sunderland were sixth last season, yet are still without a league win this season. They released former Denmark striker Andreas Albrechtsen and sold centre back Jack Mintus (₤3.3M to Leeds) and midfielder Cesar Rodriguez (₤4.8M to Tottenham). Like Liverpool, they have few new faces, but expensive ones – England centre back Wayne Steele (₤8.5M from Everton), Argentina attacking midfielder Pablo Vargas (₤11M from America) and midfielder Graham Southern (₤2.7M from Leeds).

Just two minutes in, we were a goal down thanks to a striker being left unmarked at a free kick. Aros and Avila tested former Rushden keeper Steven Slade with a couple of shots, though we were still scoreless at the break. It certainly didn't help that at the start of the second half, we hit the side netting three times through Strand and Vargas. Strand made amends in the 66th, setting up Nuno with a sharp pass for the equaliser. Slade punched a Sinclair pass to Nuno in the 77th, and though Pablo Vargas dispossessed him, the ₤11M midfielder hit the attempted clearance into his own net. Just as it looked like we could win, Gibbs returned the favour by knocking a pass beyond Al-Dossari. That made it 2-2, which was the final score. Gardner was put out for a month with an ankle injury.

Nuno was named Player of the Month, with Gibbs runner-up as Young Player of the Month. However, our overall performance is not so great. We were brushed aside so easily by Liverpool, and it will be a very tough battle to take top spot from them or the other major threats, Man U and Newcastle. We are the second-highest scoring side so far (though Oliva is yet to score a single goal), but our defence is a problem, especially with Al-Dossari struggling.

[Donners]

October, 2037

There were two World Cup qualifiers to deal with before the club games began. My Norway side beat Finland 4-0 in the last of the games to finish top of our group, leapfrogging Serbia, who lost to Montenegro.

Tottenham, Premier League, Away

Tottenham survived their first season back from six years in the Championship, but continue to work to build their squad. Having lost Jamaica winger Ian McCarthy (free to Stuttgart), they signed veteran Scotland winger Robert Morrison (free from Lazio) as a direct replacement. They also added Celtic striker Ole Jensen (free), Egypt defender Ashraf Ashour (free from Deportivo), midfielder Cesar Rodriguez (₤4.8M from Sunderland), Ireland midfielder Tony Thompson (free from Hearts) and Romania striker Marian Nemtanu (free from Triestina). We lost Pereira and Aros to international duty. Inge Holm made his début at centre back.

Our best chance of the first half came in the 33rd, when Strand played Nuno through. He got through the defence, but the keeper turned it behind. Unfortunately, Tottenham went one better and scored through Rodriguez in the 34th. With another Nuno shot saved in the second half, and Gonzalez unable to break through from long range, we slumped to a loss against a likely mid-table side – a bad result. I dropped Al-Dossari to the reserves after another bad performance. Aslan Genç was promoted, though Inanç Mete will be the first choice.

Napoli, Champions League Group B, Away

The third side in our group, Napoli have finished in the top five of the Serie A for the last three seasons. They have a couple of former Rushden players, Mexico striker Sergio Sanchez and Switzerland midfielder Bruno Schlegal, among other stars like Argentina midfielder Daniel Vilar and Colombia striker Jonay Busquets.

Nuno and Gonzalez both had early shots, and the latter got the breakthrough in the 16th minute. Though we looked the better side in the first half, it was level at half time thanks to a 41st minute goal to Napoli. Though the in-form Nuno was busy, it was again Gonzalez with the best chances. He forced a save in the 71st and followed it up himself to put Rushden ahead for the second time in the game. A great tackle from Gibbs prevented Sanchez from equalising four minutes later, but then Gonzalez undid much of his good work by elbowing an opponent and receiving a straight red card. Nonetheless, Nuno extended the lead in the 77th, heading in a pass from Sinclair. That was valuable, with Schlegal scoring with a long-range volley from a failed Gibbs clearance. 3-2.

Unfortunately, Alexis Aros was injured during his match for Chile, and will miss three months. This will now certainly be his final season at Rushden.

Manchester United, Premier League, Home

This was a massive game, with United a definite contender for the title and Rushden struggling early. They were fifth last season. Over the off-season, they axed former Holland winger Hein Frijters, lost Norway centre back Svein Sotberg to Lazio for free and sold Scotland centre back David Hill to Real Madrid for ₤14M. They certainly got quality players in, stealing England midfielder Jimmy Huckerby from MK Dons on a free transfer and buying Brazil striker Anderson (₤6.25M from Arsenal), Turkey centre back Tanyildiz Emre (₤6M from Real Madrid) and England striker Chris Preston (₤10M from Chelsea).

As if our task wasn't hard enough, United were gifted a dubious penalty seven minutes in. Emre took the kick...and his Turkey team-mate Mete made the save! Gonzalez came close from a tight angle, but a counter-attack from United saw them hit the front in the 16th. Just to make things worse, Prahl shoved an opponent a few minutes later and was sent straight off. Nonetheless, we charged forward in the 26th, and when Nuno was knocked over, we had a penalty of his own. Pereira stepped up...and hit the post. There was yet another twist just a minute later. Strand sent in a cross, and Nuno headed home. 1-1, but we were a man down. We attacked again, and Nuno crossed into the area for partner Hulshoff. He lost out for the high ball, but was fouled in the process. Another penalty, and a chance to go ahead in the 36th. After Pereira missed the last one, Inge Holm took the kick in just his second game. He put it in, and it was 2-1 in Rushden's favour. What a first half.

The goal scorer for United, England forward Neal Herbert, caused plenty of trouble early in the second half. However, Mete and Sinclair held firm, and when Hulshoff burst forward and found the head of Nuno with a high ball, it was 3-1. United were by no means done, hitting back in the 74th to move within a goal. Strand missed three shots, and Nuno was denied by veteran keeper Antony Canoville in a frantic few final minutes. We kept them on the back foot so much that they could not break through, and finished with a fantastic victory.

Leeds, Carling Cup 3rd round, Home

As luck would have it, we drew a fellow EPL side for our first game of the Carling Cup. They have bounced to and from the Championship for the last few years, but this time have made a stack of signings. Among the ₤22.5M of purchases are Scotland midfielder Marco Fox (₤7.75M from Bolton), Sunderland centre back Jack Mintus (₤3.3M), forward Marco Roelofsen (₤4M from Heerenveen), Chile left back Jaime Escudero (₤4.8M from Porto) and plenty of free signings, including our own Alban Nushi and Barcelona's Holland striker Jelmer Melaard. They should be much more of a force this season.

The game began in disastrous fashion for Rushden. James Gibbs knocked a cross from former Rushden winger Odd Hansen past début keeper Aslan Genç after just five minutes, and though Oliva had a shot soon after we kicked off, Leeds managed to get the ball from the keeper to a striker in a matter of seconds to score again. 0-2 after six minutes, and it looked like our Carling Cup run was over already. Defenders Gibbs and Sinclair had our only on-target shots for the rest of the half, while Skouras went off with a knock.

A blast at half time saw Holden and Oliva at least make an effort to fight back, albeit without success. Oliva was lucky not to be sent off for shoving an opponent, and took advantage by setting up partner Mikhailov, back in the seniors after a reserves hat-trick. Not only did the Russian score there, he put in a second two minutes later to suddenly level the scores. We could not continue that run, and finished the 90 minutes still tied at two apiece. Worse still, Mikhailov went off injured, leaving us to play the thirty minutes of extra time without our scorer. Avila came on and did reasonably, but both he and Oliva missed their chances. Leeds were more dangerous, but Genç showed he had recovered from his poor start by staying firm in goal. That took us to penalties, with Leeds' two successful efforts matched by Gibbs and Gonzalez. Their third went wide, and Avila put us ahead. With Genç saving Mintus' attempt, young defender Inge Holm sealed the 4-2 penalty win.

Wigan, Premier League, Away

After six seasons in the lower part of the table, Wigan have come out of nowhere to sit second, with six wins from nine games. This is despite losing former England midfielder Jason Day (free to Leeds) and four veterans. They only spent ₤6.5M on new signings, including Albania midfielder Aurel Gjoni (₤2.6M from Red Star), instead picking up free signings like Reading keeper Giuseppe Lentini, Alicante's Japan midfielder Taichi Akaike and Rangers midfielder Scott Aitken.

Mikhailov looked to have continued his good form with a 5th minute goal, but he was ruled to have been offside. A series of misses from Nuno and Avila wasted our dominance – 11 shots to two, yet still scoreless at half time. The second half was no better, and with Holm sent off for a second yellow card, we couldn't afford to go with an all-out attack. Though Wigan have started this season well, we should have got the win here.

Napoli, Champions League Group B, Home

Again Rushden controlled the game without result. Ten shots in the first half, most to Richard Hulshoff and Anderson, failed to get the breakthrough. It took a penalty just on half time for Rushden to finally get ahead through Anderson's kick. Napoli quickly equalised with just their third attempt of the game, and worse still, we lost Avila to an injury. A moment of brilliance from Pál was what we needed – a 30-yard curling strike restoring the lead. Hulshoff responded with a rocket of his own to suddenly make it 3-1, and Napoli's players went mad. Three were sent off in five minutes, two for second yellows and one for a shove, and Strand finished the game off with a free kick against the eight men who remained. The only bad news was that keeper Mete was put out for a month with an injury.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Newcastle     |       | 11    | 8     | 1     | 2     | 15    | 6     | +9    | 25    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Bolton        |       | 11    | 7     | 2     | 2     | 18    | 9     | +9    | 23    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Chelsea       |       | 11    | 6     | 3     | 2     | 14    | 9     | +5    | 21    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Man Utd       |       | 10    | 6     | 2     | 2     | 15    | 10    | +5    | 20    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Wigan         |       | 10    | 6     | 2     | 2     | 9     | 6     | +3    | 20    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Liverpool     |       | 11    | 6     | 1     | 4     | 15    | 10    | +5    | 19    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Man City      |       | 11    | 6     | 0     | 5     | 14    | 10    | +4    | 18    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Aston Villa   |       | 11    | 5     | 2     | 4     | 12    | 13    | -1    | 17    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Rushden       |       | 9     | 4     | 3     | 2     | 13    | 10    | +3    | 15    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | West Ham      |       | 8     | 4     | 1     | 3     | 11    | 10    | +1    | 13    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Sheff Utd     |       | 11    | 3     | 4     | 4     | 11    | 13    | -2    | 13    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Tottenham     |       | 11    | 2     | 6     | 3     | 9     | 11    | -2    | 12    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Arsenal       |       | 9     | 2     | 5     | 2     | 6     | 6     | 0     | 11    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Sunderland    |       | 9     | 2     | 4     | 3     | 10    | 11    | -1    | 10    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Leicester     |       | 10    | 2     | 4     | 4     | 8     | 11    | -3    | 10    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Leeds         |       | 10    | 2     | 4     | 4     | 7     | 10    | -3    | 10    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Barnsley      |       | 9     | 1     | 3     | 5     | 8     | 14    | -6    | 6     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | MK Dons       |       | 11    | 1     | 3     | 7     | 6     | 13    | -7    | 6     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Middlesbrough |       | 10    | 1     | 3     | 6     | 4     | 11    | -7    | 6     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Huddersfield  |       | 11    | 0     | 3     | 8     | 4     | 16    | -12   | 3     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

November, 2037

Leicester, Premier League, Home

Leicester fell from their usual mid-table spot to sixteenth last season. Their only losses were defender Bent Foss (₤3M to Huddersfield) and Petr Zbozinek (no relation to our player by the same name; free to Genoa). ₤14M was spent to recover from their slump, on the likes of Chelsea left back David Sadler (₤3.7M), Norway forward Nicolai Overas (₤6M from Birmingham),left back Raul Garcia (₤1.2M from Racing) and left winger Ivan Yague (free from Betis). We lost both Prahl and Holm to suspension for this game, with Mete, Skouras, Gardner, Aros and Spellman out injured.

To add to our woes, Mikhailov went off injured in only six minutes. We had few chances in the first half, though Leicester were completely closed down. Zbozinek started the second half well, forcing a save with a powerful long shot. Strand was a significant threat with his runs down the left, and with ten minutes to go, he crossed to Avila who put us into the lead. Leicester didn't have a shot all game, so we had a comfortable win in front of a record home crowd.

Leicester, Carling Cup 4th round, Home

Another Premier League side for the Carling Cup, and the same one we played in the previous game. Just four minutes in, Leicester had the chance to move ahead after Lekovic conceded a penalty. However, Genç made the save. Anderson had our only on-target effort of the half. Lekovic and Avila kept a bit of pressure on at the start of the second half, though neither side ever looked like breaking the deadlock. We had the only chance of extra time, with Sinclair drilling in a free kick in the 113th, only to be denied by a great save.

Just like the previous Carling Cup game, we went to penalties. Zbozinek answered their first shot, then their second was put off the bar. Gonzalez had the chance to give us the advantage, but his attempt was saved. Genç made a save of his own, and again we did not capitalise. This time it was Avila's shot that was punched clear. Genç made another save, and Holm finally scored to make it 2-1 after four. Leicester could still equalise with their last shot, but it went over, and we didn't even need to take the fifth attempt. Another tight win.

MK Dons, Premier League, Home

Dons tumbled from fifth to fourteenth last season, and have started this one even worse. Losing England midfielder Jimmy Huckerby to Manchester United without any compensation must have hurt, though they made a few steals of their own. Two came from Barcelona, Norway keeper Adem Moe and Colombia left back Alejandro Bocardo, as well as France right back Pierrick Silva (Pescara). They also bought Belgium centre back Mathieu Peslier (₤3M from Arsenal) and Cameroon defender Junior M'Bami (₤2.3M from Toluca). M'Bami and Moe join Aitor Gutiérrez and Steven Brownlie as former Rushden players at Dons.

Nuno had an early header saved, and then had a chip punched away in the 17th. Partner Rafael opened the scoring a few minutes later with his first of the season, and we cruised into the break well on top. Wingers Holden and Lekovic caused plenty of problems, and the former managed to score from a free kick in the second half. A solid 2-0 win.

Galatasaray, Champions League Group B, Home

This was our fifth straight game at Nene Park. With Mete injured and Genc ineligible, I brought Al-Dossari back to the seniors. Pál gave us a fourth-minute lead through a free kick and Hulshoff doubled the lead in the 9th. Ricardo Avila picked up this third assist, setting up Anderson for a goal just on half time. Hulshoff scored again in the second half to complete our fifth win from five games in the group stage.

Aston Villa, Premier League, Away

Straight back from relegation through winning the Championship, Villa have already recorded more wins than the did back in 35/36. While their leading scorer from last season, Martin Eggen, is just not good enough for this level (it's hard to see how he scored so many in the Championship), Scotland striker Gary Sutherland has stepped up. Their signings were very cheap, and they rely on Saudi forward Faisal Al-Yami and a few mid-range players.

Holden played Anderson through three times in ten minutes, only for the Italian to be unsuccessful each time. Hulshoff and Anderson also missed their chances and even when Villa had a player sent off, we could not score. Anderson alone had eight attempts, without a single score. A disappointing result, and it cost us Gardner for two months with fractured ribs. In-form reserve striker Nikos Tsichlas was also put out for three months with a hip injury.

Leeds, Premier League, Home

After eventually winning on penalties in our Carling Cup game, we faced Leeds in the league. Anderson forced a save with an early shot, then centre back Craig Sinclair hit the top corner with a sharp free kick. Leeds did not look too likely to hit back until the 80th, when Genç was left outnumbered. Not only did he save the first shot, he kept out a follow-up strike as well. That was the difference in the end.

This has been a really worrying start to the season. Oliva still hasn't got a single goal, Gardner, Spellman and Aros are out for the long term and we've already dropped a lot of points. I can't make much of a change to the formation because we just don't have full backs, and the transfer window won't open for another month.

There was a bit of good news, with Inge Holm named Young Player of the Month.

[Donners]

December, 2037

Betis, Champions League Group B, Away

Though we have well and truly qualified from this stage, it's important to get into some scoring form. Mete returned to the side and was spared by some poor early shooting from Betis. Anderson did much better with a chip that was barely tipped over. After that, though, we were pretty impotent. Even when Betis had a player sent off in the second half, we couldn't score – and lost Nuno to an injury. He will miss a month, which is unfortunate as he already has nine goals this season.

Antlers, Club World Championship, semi final, Neutral

Something of a random game, which is not really what we need with so many injuries. Antlers won the Asian Champions League for the second straight season, though they feature no players of note.

Ricardo Avila stepped up in the absence of our main strikers, scoring in the fifth minute. Backups Hulshoff and Rafael were not so impressive, missing several shots between them. Again it was left to Avila to show them how it should be done, with a sharp strike in the 23rd. Sinclair made it 3-0 later in the half. Hulshoff finally got on the board in the 65th, with Avila continuing his stellar game with the assist. Rafael continued to be unable to get on target, with even substitute Anderson scoring to make it 5-0. Sinclair was Man of the Match, continuing his excellent season.

Pumas, Club World Championship, Final, Neutral

Pumas won the CONCACAF Champions Cup as they have for six of the last eight years. They have a few stars, including Lebanon winger Mohammad Shatila (bought for ₤11.75M from Newcastle), Ivory Coast keeper Patrice Kone and Colombia striker Benito Rivera. I went with Anderson instead of the ineffective Rafael to partner Hulshoff.

We went behind after only seven minutes through a corner which was hit in by Mexico winger Gaston Nieva. Even after ten shots in twenty minutes, we couldn't manage to get the goal they got with their second, and with Anderson hitting the post twice, it was an incredibly frustrating half. At the break, we had twenty shots to two, and it was still 0-1. For the third time, Anderson hit the post to get the second half off to an irritating start. I switched Avila to replace Anderson, with Gonzalez coming on as a midfielder. It took a 50-yard pass from Prahl to set up winger Holden with a late equaliser. With 29 shots to five, it was a ridiculous result, and we still had penalties to deal with. They missed their second and fifth shots, and with Zbozinek, Gonzalez, Holden and Pereira scoring, we took out the win. It should never have gone to penalties, but it was a win nonetheless.

Port Vale, Carling Cup quarter final, Home

The League One side has done well to get this far, knocking over Fulham, Blackburn and Sunderland so far. 30-year-old former Preston striker James Mountford scored all of their four goals in those games. There were two débuting defenders, Even Henden and Anastasios Maladenis, and forward José Oliva returned.

A third-minute penalty when Vargas was knocked over allowed Zbozinek to put us ahead. Defender Fredrick Prahl scored a terrific 30-yard curling shot for his first club goal, and Oliva finally got his first of the season in the 38th. Port Vale did not even have a single attempt at goal, and had a mere 36% of possession. 3-0.

Manchester City, Premier League, Away

City are continuing to consolidate in the league after surviving their first season back. They didn't sign a single player during the off-season and cleared out a host of unremarkable players.

Maladenis had a big start to the game. He made two key tackles, including one which saved an almost certain goal with Genç out of position, but was then sent off in the 37th for a professional foul. That left us more than half the game to hold on with a man down. We still had our chances, with Avila and Hulshoff missing, and Holm heading over late. Just as we entered the final minute, Avila exchanged passes with Anderson, dodged a defender and struck in a fantastic goal. 1-0, and a good win.

Newcastle, Premier League, Away

Newcastle are second in the league, and have been runners-up to us for the last two seasons. They got rid of only three notable players, former Scotland striker Craig Ramsay (released), veteran Turkey midfielder Ersin Ilhan (₤2.4M to Liverpool) and teenage striker Scott Hunter (₤9M to Chelsea). They certainly covered those losses, getting our own Yaser Al-Abdullah (free), Chelsea's Wales striker Noel Wright (₤25M), young Anderlecht forward Thijs Muhren (₤3.3M) and keeper Javier Tchadkijian (₤7M from Milan).

In a reverse of our previous game, Newcastle had a player sent off in the first half for a professional foul. We scored through Gonzalez from the free. That was valuable, with Newcastle having the majority of chances. Genç held up well, though it helped that Bolivian Henry Lopez was off target. In the second half, the back three of Sinclair, Pereira and Holm were terrific, and Genç was firm when they got through. With Gonzalez keeping the pressure on, we held on for another tight league win.

I had to work hard to deflect interest in Maladenis and Holm and conversely could not sell Gardner. Though Roma again made their ₤19.75M bid, he still refuses to go to an Italian club. I rejected a ₤20M bid for the in-form Sinclair, but did manage to arrange to offload now-redundant keeper Abdullah Al-Dossari.

Bolton, Premier League, Away

Bolton have done pretty well so far this season, climbing up to seventh spot. They held us to a scoreless draw in August. Australian and ex-Rushden striker Mark Hayward caused Genç quite a few problems, though we had sufficient shots – eight – to be disappointed to go into the break tied at nil-all. Craig Sinclair continued his terrific season, setting up Zbozinek to head in a goal form a long free. That was the cue for Bolton to respond almost immediately, and we were back to where we started. It was Sinclair to the rescue again, this time scoring direct from the free himself. I had intended to bring the disappointing Oliva off earlier, but was glad I didn't when he collected a loose ball and scored our third with five minutes to go. Hayward had a goal disallowed deep in injury time, and though it was a dubious call, it wouldn't have made a difference to the result anyway.

Middlesbrough, Premier League, Home

Back to Nene Park at last. We beat Middlesbrough 3-1 at the start of the season, with a brace to the now-injured Nuno. With forwards Avila and Hulshoff missing early shots, it was winger Lekovic who put us ahead with a free kick. It was a game of wasted chances, with Anderson and Hulshoff particularly wild with their shooting. That opened the door for substitute Mikhailov, back from injury, who scored our second. With Genç terrific in goal once again, we recorded another league win and are starting to get on track.

I re-signed both Sinclair and Hulshoff to end the year. Sinclair was Player of the Month, with Holm second. In turn, Holm was Young Player of the Month, with Gibbs runner-up.

 Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Liverpool     |       | 21    | 13    | 4     | 4     | 32    | 18    | +14   | 43    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Newcastle     |       | 20    | 11    | 6     | 3     | 29    | 12    | +17   | 39    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Chelsea       |       | 21    | 11    | 5     | 5     | 28    | 17    | +11   | 38    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Rushden       |       | 17    | 11    | 4     | 2     | 24    | 11    | +13   | 37    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | West Ham      |       | 20    | 10    | 5     | 5     | 24    | 16    | +8    | 35    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Man Utd       |       | 19    | 10    | 5     | 4     | 30    | 23    | +7    | 35    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Bolton        |       | 20    | 10    | 4     | 6     | 23    | 18    | +5    | 34    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Wigan         |       | 21    | 9     | 7     | 5     | 14    | 11    | +3    | 34    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Man City      |       | 21    | 9     | 4     | 8     | 23    | 19    | +4    | 31    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Arsenal       |       | 20    | 7     | 8     | 5     | 17    | 14    | +3    | 29    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Aston Villa   |       | 21    | 8     | 5     | 8     | 22    | 24    | -2    | 29    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Leicester     |       | 21    | 7     | 6     | 8     | 19    | 20    | -1    | 27    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Sunderland    |       | 21    | 5     | 10    | 6     | 22    | 23    | -1    | 25    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Sheff Utd     |       | 21    | 4     | 10    | 7     | 18    | 26    | -8    | 22    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Middlesbrough |       | 21    | 6     | 3     | 12    | 20    | 30    | -10   | 21    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Tottenham     |       | 21    | 4     | 8     | 9     | 15    | 20    | -5    | 20    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Leeds         |       | 21    | 3     | 10    | 8     | 15    | 20    | -5    | 19    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | MK Dons       |       | 21    | 2     | 8     | 11    | 12    | 24    | -12   | 14    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Huddersfield  |       | 20    | 2     | 4     | 14    | 12    | 35    | -23   | 10    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Barnsley      |       | 20    | 1     | 6     | 13    | 12    | 30    | -18   | 9     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

January, 2038

There were some substantial transfers to start the new year due to our injuries and lack of depth for some positions. Abdullah Al-Dossari fetched us ₤7M by moving to West Ham, and for a change I actually spent more on my purchases. Coming in are 17-year-old left back Gary Guild (₤1M from Barnsley, having been given a glowing report by scout Danny Russell), Mercia right winger Erik Knol (₤1.9M, as a long-term replacement for Gardner), and the following three players who will play senior football, and thus are individually profiled.

Marco van Persie [D C/DM, HOL – 10 U21 caps, 176cm, 22] – 0, 0, 0

van Persie comes from Livorno for ₤3.2M despite playing only three Serie A games. He is highly rated by scout Drew Black, and though his lack of pace is a substantial concern, his defensive attributes are solid enough to get a go.

Mohammed Majrashi [AM R, KSA – 3 Caps, 173cm, 28] – 0, 0, 0

A replacement for Gardner and backup for Lekovic in the short term, Majrashi lost his work permit after a year at Real Madrid, and was released to us without cost. With plenty of pace, powerful free kicks and great crosses, he will be a real threat.

Mohamed Né [AM LC/F C, CIV – 4 Caps, 172cm, 20] – 0, 0, 0

A replacement for Vargas, Né joins from Recreativo for ₤3.3M after 18 La Liga games. He is very strong for his size and can certainly score goals, in addition to possessing a bit of skill as a playmaker.

MK Dons, FA Cup 3rd round, Away

Just our luck to draw an EPL side in the third round. Dons have already brought in a new player in the transfer window, buying Betis striker David Herrero for ₤1.7M. Majrashi was the only new signing for Rushden to get a run. Even Henden also got a go, as I try and fend off bids for him.

Early shots from Anderson and Oliva were on target, but dealt with by veteran Adem Moe. It took attacking midfielder Ricardo Avila, with his fifth goal of the season, to give us a 30th minute lead. Two minutes into injury time of the first half, veteran Ireland striker Mark Priest levelled the scores through an error from Henden. They almost took the lead in the 60th, only denied thanks to a late offside call. Anderson was brought down, earning a penalty for Zbozinek, and we were back in front. It lasted just three minutes, with Majrashi left for dead by lightning-fast midfielder Carl Downes (no relation to the former Rushden player), who then beat Genç to make it 2-2. With just ten minutes to go, Priest dodged Henden and scored again, and we had no answer. Having made the Final the last two seasons, that was a terribly early exit – our worst since 28/29.

West Ham, Carling Cup semi final leg 1, Home

Having just been booted out of one Cup competition, we had the chance to push for the final in another. Oddly, this is our first game against the EPL side for the season, even though we have played some sides twice already. They have finished in the top-8 for the last four seasons since winning the Championship, and are again in the top half. Their only significant loss was Portugal centre back Ferreira (₤1.4M to Everton), and they have added Brazil defensive midfielder Souza (free from Villarreal), left winger Peter McIntosh (₤2.8M from Chelsea), Norway striker Silvert Stromme (₤4.4M from Juventus), Iraq midfielder Hussain Ali (₤4.1M from Mercia) and now our keeper Abdullah Al-Dossari (₤7M). Mohamed Né made his début, giving Avila a rest.

Hulshoff was a key figure early, justifying his new contract. He scored in the fifth minute, then sent in a corner for Sinclair, whose header was barely kept out. It was a pretty dominant first half for Rushden, with Genç barely challenged by a few long-range shots. There was the potential for the game to turn when, ten minutes into the second half, Pereira was sent off for a professional foul. Hulshoff missed three chances in the next few minutes to extend our lead, taking him to seven shots with just two on target for the game. It took Né, on début, to make it 2-0. He collected a deflected pass from Lekovic and drove it home. A few minutes later, he was in the right place again, this time to collect a parried shot from Oliva. 3-0, despite being a man down, and two goals for our new forward – certainly a positive result after the disappointment in the last game.

Unfortunately, I had to let the unhappy Even Henden go when Napoli came in with a ₤5.5M offer. It looks like my search for full backs will have to continue, though the three-man defence seems to be working so far. I turned down a ₤15.5M Milan Bid for Pál and fended off a number of offers for Holm.

West Ham, Premier League, Home

Straight after our Cup victory, we faced West Ham again – and will a third time in a matter of weeks in the second leg of the semi final. An errant elbow saw West Ham reduced to ten men within a matter of minutes. We had a number of free kicks to Gonzalez and Lekovic, all of which missed. Mikhailov was also off-target in the first half, but he rose to head in a Sinclair pass ten minutes into the second half. Though it was scant reward for our sixteen shots, Sinclair won yet another Man of the Match award as he held off West Ham to ensure one goal was enough.

Sheffield United, Premier League, Away

We barely managed a 1-0 win against the promoted side in our last encounter, despite their having two players sent off. They have added Iceland keeper Helgi Hreinsson (free from Middlesbrough) since then.

Sheffield started quite promisingly, hitting the crossbar and getting into the area a number of times. They eventually scored in the 27th, and though we had a number of first half shots, we did not get a single one on target. Majrashi did well shortly after the break, running down the right and crossing to Avila, only to see the shot go over. A late penalty conceded by Sinclair had the potential to make things worse, and though it was shot over, we could not take advantage at the other end. That was our first league loss in a dozen games, but it really hurts to lose to such lowly sides.

West Ham, Carling Cup semi final leg 2, Away

With a 3-0 win in the first leg, this did not loom as a particularly tough game. That made it a perfect opportunity for Dan Spellman to come in for his first game of the season, having missed six months with a broken leg.

Mete had to make three early saves as West Ham fought to close the gap. He held them scoreless through the first half, though they scored through a free early in the second. With Mikhailov wildly off-target, that was still a dangerous situation despite our big first leg lead. Sure enough, it got worse when my Norway striker Sivert Stromme lobbed Mete for their second with 13 minutes to go. 2-3 on aggregate now, and a matter of minutes later, Maladenis was beaten in the air for a headed goal. 3-3, and suddenly we had to work to avoid penalties. We would only need one more goal to surely progress on away goals, but having not scored all game, that looked unlikely. Sinclair made a key interception in the 84th, and by injury time it was still level. A minute into injury time, Spellman tried to centre the ball into the area and had it deflected. Anderson took the loose ball and had a shot, which was punched away by former team-mate Al-Dossari. Mikhailov, who had missed his three shots, got to the rebound and was finally on target. 4-3 on aggregate, and a last-minute progression to the Final.

Liverpool, Premier League, Home

Liverpool have certainly bounced back from last season; they are now just behind Newcastle on the table. They belted us 3-1 in our last encounter, and their only transfer since then was the sale of backup defender Jose Carreno to Birmingham for ₤2.2M.

After former Rushden winger Sebastian Morales conceded a throw-in, Holden sent a long throw to the unmarked Anderson in the area. He flicked a pass to the charging Avila, who scored a third-minute goal. Mete had to make a terrific save to keep out a free just two minutes later, and a free from Sinclair was similarly punched clear at the other end. Liverpool had their chances, hitting the post in the 28th, while for our part, Sinclair kept the pressure on with dangerous frees. They were reduced to ten men just before half time, enhancing our advantage. Avila and Anderson managed five shots between them in the last ten minutes, keeping Liverpool from launching a last-ditch attack and ensuring we took the three points.

Sunderland, Premier League, Away

Sunderland are pretty secure in the middle of the table and held us to a 2-2 draw in September. They've made some significant moves since then. Out went Turkey left winger Alemdar Nezir (₤10M to Man U), midfielder Peter Milner (₤8M to Arsenal) and defender Glenn Allen (₤85K to Crystal Palace, just three years after they bought him for ₤8.25M). Replacing them were Columbia midfielder Pedro Ceballos (₤4.7M from Ituano) and MK Dons defender Steve McDermott (₤8M).

Unlike his effort at the start of the last game, Avila missed a quite simple shot at goal early on. It was a fairly even half, and with our two weakest forwards this season – Oliva and Mikhailov – it was no surprise that we failed to score. Even in the 50th, when Lekovic and Mikhailov had three shots between them, they still couldn't beat the keeper. The game just petered out after that, and a scoreless draw was the result.

We have at least started to get our season back on track. Rushden are in fifth spot and just five points behind leaders Newcastle, despite having played four fewer games. Three losses at this point is not good – we had just four for all of last season – but it is an unusually mediocre top five this season. There are certainly some concerns, with Oliva scoring just two goals so far for the season, Rafael unhappy and Gardner likely to walk out. However, we have a few promising new signings, Gardner, Nuno and Spellman are back from injury and Sinclair is having a terrific season. The title is once again within reach.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Newcastle     |       | 25    | 14    | 7     | 4     | 35    | 16    | +19   | 49    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Liverpool     |       | 26    | 14    | 6     | 6     | 36    | 22    | +14   | 48    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | West Ham      |       | 25    | 13    | 6     | 6     | 33    | 19    | +14   | 45    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Chelsea       |       | 25    | 13    | 6     | 6     | 32    | 18    | +14   | 45    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Rushden       |       | 21    | 13    | 5     | 3     | 26    | 12    | +14   | 44    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Man Utd       |       | 24    | 13    | 5     | 6     | 42    | 30    | +12   | 44    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Bolton        |       | 26    | 13    | 5     | 8     | 29    | 21    | +8    | 44    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Leicester     |       | 26    | 11    | 6     | 9     | 27    | 25    | +2    | 39    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Wigan         |       | 26    | 10    | 8     | 8     | 18    | 20    | -2    | 38    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Arsenal       |       | 25    | 9     | 9     | 7     | 24    | 19    | +5    | 36    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Man City      |       | 26    | 10    | 5     | 11    | 27    | 28    | -1    | 35    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Aston Villa   |       | 26    | 10    | 5     | 11    | 28    | 32    | -4    | 35    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Sunderland    |       | 26    | 6     | 12    | 8     | 25    | 27    | -2    | 30    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Sheff Utd     |       | 26    | 6     | 11    | 9     | 21    | 29    | -8    | 29    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Tottenham     |       | 25    | 6     | 10    | 9     | 20    | 23    | -3    | 28    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Middlesbrough |       | 26    | 8     | 4     | 14    | 29    | 39    | -10   | 28    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Leeds         |       | 26    | 5     | 10    | 11    | 21    | 30    | -9    | 25    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | MK Dons       |       | 26    | 4     | 8     | 14    | 16    | 31    | -15   | 20    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Huddersfield  |       | 25    | 2     | 7     | 16    | 14    | 40    | -26   | 13    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Barnsley      |       | 25    | 1     | 9     | 15    | 13    | 35    | -22   | 12    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

February, 2038

West Ham, Premier League, Away

For the fourth time in a month, we faced West Ham. Considering they won 1-3 in our last encounter, I was not too thrilled to again face them away, though the good news was that Nuno was back.

Nuno's partner, Avila, had an early impact – hitting the bar in the fourth minute. Lekovic did the good work to win the ball and find the forward, and it was unfortunate he didn't get more reward. That looked like the best part of the game for us – West Ham went ahead in the 30th, Avila, Gonzalez and Maladenis picked up knocks and Nuno was sent off late. Just as the game was about to end, a long exchange of passes across the middle ended with a long ball to Strand on the edge of the area. He found Avila unopposed, and despite his injury, he was able to turn and smack in a last-minute equaliser. We had enough of the play to deserve a point, and with the injuries thankfully minor, it didn't come at much cost.

Tottenham, Premier League, Home

Tottenham are fighting to avoid returning to the Championship, and are free of the relegation zone for the moment. They actually managed to beat us earlier in the season, and have bought one of our former players – South Africa defensive midfielder Philani Mofokeng (₤240K from Man U).

Oliva's dry run continued with a second-minute miss, and defensive midfielder Zbozinek showed him how it should be done with a strike from the edge of the area. New signing Majrashi added another 20-yard goal a few minutes later. Oliva looked to have emulated his team-mates, catching the keeper out of position in the 20th, only to have it ruled offside. He then had a great strike saved in the 28th, with Mikhailov poaching our third goal when the parried ball went loose. A red card to Tottenham's scorer from our previous meeting pushed the game even further in Rushden's favour. Sinclair and Mikhailov both came close to scoring at the start of the second half, and poor Oliva was likewise denied in the 60th. Oliva was again involved in the 77th, when he was knocked over just inside the area. Zbozinek's penalty was saved and with two more Oliva shots kept out, we had to settle for a 3-0 win. This was very costly though – Mikhailov was sidelined for a month with an elbow injury, and James Gibbs for three months with a hip injury.

Huddersfield, Premier League, Away

Huddersfield have tumbled right back down from their top-half finish last season, and are in relegation territory. After a few minor sales in January, they snapped up Ukraine forward Igor Arkhipov (₤1.2M from Genk), Sweden left winger Kent Magnusson (₤675K from Chelsea) and defender Anders Sorensen (₤2.5M from St Johnstone). Our on-loan forward Julian Marsden is their leading scorer.

Huddersfield came forward straight from the kick-off, and despite brief clearances from Sinclair and Holm, former Rushden midfielder Mario Lentsch still got the shot off. Thankfully, it missed. Né, Oliva and Zbozinek also missed for Rushden, and though we barely survived a scramble in the area when Holm knocked the ball out for a corner, they scored from that corner. Gonzalez then went off injured to add to our problems and substitute Hulshoff was just as ineffective in breaking through as partner Oliva. Huddersfield did not have a single shot in the second half, to our six, yet held onto their lead. A win there would have taken us to just a point behind Newcastle, though we still have two games in hand.

Barnsley, Premier League, Away

Five players were out for this game, which was thankfully against the bottom-placed side – though we had just lost to the second-bottom team. Like Huddersfield, Barnsley have tumbled down the table after finishing in the top half – indeed, they were sixth and seventh in the last two seasons. Even so, they sold us promising left back Gary Guild (₤1M) and also let Wales midfielder Anthony McNeil go to Aberdeen for ₤1.8M and young midfielder Brendon Brown to Port Vale for ₤950K. Their only new faces were Sweden striker Fredrik Touma (₤1.6M from Tenerife) and Turkey striker Er Serkan (loan from Milan).

Genç had to make a save after only five minutes, and soon thereafter, a shot took a deflection off Sinclair and beat him as it went into the net. It was a shock to be suddenly down, but Barnsley kept us busy enough to prevent a quick fightback. Things got worse with new players Né and Majrashi both off injured in the first half. We had just one shot for the entire second half, with Nuno blasting over. Genç had to work to prevent us going further behind, though it didn't matter when we couldn't score a single goal. Absolutely embarrassing, and a real blow to our title chances.

Lyon, Champions League 1st knockout round, leg 1, Away

Another side to have tumbled down the table this season, Lyon are 13th in Ligue1 despite not finishing outside the top three in over fifteen years (and that was a 4th place). Admittedly, they sold ₤67M worth of players this season, which has weakened their squad substantially. 32-year-old Sudanese striker Bashir Al-Sharar is by far their leading scorer, though they also feature former Rushden forward Dusan Paunovic. With Né and Majrashi joining our ranks of sidelined players, I brought back Alexis Aros after a fine showing for the reserves. He had to start on the bench due to a lack of fitness. Nuno started up forward despite having not added to his tally of nine goals in over ten hours of play.

After two horrible games, the last thing we needed was a bad start. It took just seventeen seconds for Lyon to score, with Al-Sharar rounding Zbozinek all too easily, and the other defenders nowhere to be seen. Only a last-ditch tackle from Sinclair prevented him from adding another, and it looked like we would struggle to hold on. Holm finally lobbed a long pass into our area in the 21st, and it was headed out for a corner. Strand took it, and his corner was collected by Holm, who headed in a valuable equaliser and away goal. Just four minutes later, Zbozinek sent through a terrific pass, and Nuno finally broke his drought. In the 33rd, Oliva dodged a defender and hit the post. It rebounded to Nuno, who made it 3-1. Genç did a fantastic job to prevent Al-Sharar from scoring again and in the 51st, Nuno weaved through the defence to complete his hat-trick. Five minutes later, a Zbozinek shot was parried to that man, and Nuno made it 5-1. That was more than enough to ensure our progression, even with a leg to go.

Middlesbrough, Carling Cup Final, Neutral

Since we beat Middlesbrough 2-0 in December, they haven't made any transfers. After such an early exit in the FA Cup, it was important to record a win here – particularly after losing in the final three times (2021 to Arsenal and 2027 and 2033 to Man U). Unfortunately, since this game was just four days after we faced Lyon, Nuno had to be rested, with Hulshoff partnering Oliva.

The first shot of the game was a long, curling effort from Hulshoff which was saved in the 12th. Genç made a good save in the 25th, and had to follow up a moment later when we couldn't get the ball clear. Former Rushden striker Phil Conroy was denied by the Turkey international and it was scoreless at half time. Middlesbrough were probably the better side, and when Oliva went off injured in the 77th, we'd had just two shots for the game. Middlesbrough hadn't had that many chances themselves, but with just five minutes to go, Conroy found space and scored. Not even Nuno could inject any spark into Rushden, and we fell to our fourth loss in Carling Cup finals. Oliva had his dismal season ended by a hip injury.

Arsenal, Premier League, Home

This is the first time we've played Arsenal this season. Having finished fourth last season, they are in the lower half. If they are there in May, it will be their worst finish since 94/95. They offloaded over 25 players since last season, notably Brazil striker Anderson (₤8.5M to Man U), former Rushden striker Phil Conroy (₤3.9M to Middlesbrough), Belgium defender Mathieu Peslier (₤3M to MK Dons), left back Petter Nilsen (₤4.2M to Napoli) and Austria utility Ernst Hauser (₤2.8M to Chelsea). They swapped Argentina right winger Walter Gonzalez for Spain striker Victor Caballero and bought Wales striker Paul Davis (₤9M from Everton), keeper Einar Moe (₤8M from Parma), midfielder Peter Milner (₤8M from Sunderland) and Peru defender Juan Espinoza (₤18.5M from FC Bayern).

Alexis Aros, in his first start for many months, hit the crossbar with a free in what turned out to be the only significant event of the first half. Hulshoff missed twice in the first few minutes of the second half and even when he dodged a defender in the 70th, he couldn't beat the keeper. His most effective work came when he was knocked over in the area in the 75th. Veteran Aros took the kick, and made no mistake. We controlled the rest of the game, particularly when Arsenal had a player sent off. Aros had seven shots, and Sinclair sealed the win with a free kick. After two straight league losses against poor sides, that was crucial.

Wigan, Premier League, Home

Wigan are tenth in the league and held us to a scoreless draw earlier in the season. They got rid of four players in January – three young players for low seven-figure sums and former Austria forward Michael Muhlbauer (₤60K to Hull). They bought Solomon Islands striker Lele Carrera for ₤1.3M from Club Brugge. Winger Nicky Gardner returned to the side.

Aros went off with yet another injury in the first few minutes. After a few misses, an Avila shot was parried to Hulshoff, who put us ahead in the 26th. Avila, the substitute for Aros, continued his fine game with a goal of his own just after half time. Gardner was Man of the Match in his comeback game. It turned out that Aros had a broken arm, which meant he will miss a month. Skouras was also put out for a month with the same injury.

I was Manager of the Month, despite the side losing twice to lowly sides. We finished the month on top of the table, a point above Newcastle and West Ham.

[Donners]

March, 2038

Lyon, Champions League 1st knockout round, leg 2, Home

With a 5-1 win in the away leg, progression was all but assured before this leg even began. The first half was scoreless, and it wasn't until the 64th that Nuno scored the first goal of the game. That turned out to be the only goal, though Rushden were clearly on top throughout.

Chelsea, Premier League, Away

Chelsea are in fifth place, though we downed them 3-1 in August through a Nuno hat-trick. They picked up ₤10.5M and veteran Saudi defender Sattam Abbas for Italy striker Francesco Concari. They also sold Sweden left winger Kent Magnusson to Huddersfield for ₤675K and bought Austria utility Ernst Hauser for ₤2.8M from Arsenal. Tunisia striker Karim Sahbani is their leading scorer with a dozen goals for the season.

Genç made a good save in the 14th, and was fortunate that Pereira was there for the clearance. He had to work hard again five minutes later when sharp passes got through our defence, but again Genç stood tall. A burst of pace got Nuno to a loose ball before the defenders in the 30th, only for his hurried shot to go wide. He was dispossessed after receiving a Lekovic pass in the area, and the first half ended scoreless. Genç made his third fine save of the game early in the second half, keeping out a shot from close range. He was left one-on-one in the 60th with a charging striker, and again fought him off. Chelsea also missed a few shots by narrow margins, so we were probably quite lucky to have held on. Two minutes into injury time, Avila broke down the left and hooked in a cross for Nuno. He was taken down as he went for the ball, and a penalty was awarded. Gonzalez made no mistake, and we took the three points – though we may not have deserved them all. It looked like the decision to award a penalty was incorrect, but we've had a few unlucky results ourselves this season. With West Ham drawing with Liverpool and Newcastle losing to Tottenham, our lead at the top was extended.

Leicester, Premier League, Away

We faced Leicester twice in November, winning 1-0 in the league and then on penalties in the Carling Cup. They've done fairly well this season, sitting in 8th spot. This is despite two massive sales in January – Russia defender Denis Streltsov to Real Madrid for ₤18.75M and England midfielder Liam Allen to Manchester United for ₤26M. Though that left them a couple of holes to fill, they had plenty of money to do it. Leicester signed Norway centre back Thomas Johannesen from Valencia for ₤5M and Ireland defensive midfielder Craig White from Aberdeen, also for ₤5M. They further loaned in Man U striker Chris Josifovski.

A curling 25-yard free from Sinclair gave Rushden the lead ten minutes in. He was then beaten in defence, and only a last-ditch tackle from Maladenis saved Genç from a huge challenge. However, there was nobody to save Sinclair when he tapped a loose cross straight past Genç and into his own net to make it 1-1. Australia striker Chris Josifovski hit the bar late in the half, and we took advantage with a second goal from a free. Again it was Sinclair, giving him all the three goals for the game – including one for the opposition! Just as it looked like we'd recorded a fourth straight win, a late cross to the near post was headed in by Norway forward Nicolai Overas. 2-2, and a fair result.

Manchester United, Premier League, Away

United are in fourth place, and are certainly a title threat. We beat them 2-3 in a tough game in October, and since then they added England midfielder Liam Allen for ₤26M as noted above, and Turkey left winger Alemdar Nezir for ₤10M for Sunderland. Their sales were insignificant, so they're certainly sparing no expense going for the title. England striker Chris Preston has 25 goals for the season.

An early shot from Hulshoff was turned away, and he fired over from long range with a second attempt. They hit the post in the tenth, and for the second game in a row Sinclair conceded an own goal, knocking the loose ball past Genç. An unmarked striker scored a second in the 18th, while for Rushden, a Hulshoff header was turned away. We had as many chances as United in the second half, with Avila and Nuno particularly busy. However, United scored a third late in the game and we could not manage even one. As if that weren't bad enough, leading scorer Nuno suffered a torn calf muscle during the final moments, ending his season. The only good news was that United beat Newcastle by the same margin, keeping them five points behind Rushden on the table. Of course, that now makes United a threat – jumping up to second place, and just four points behind us with eight games left.

Huddersfield, Premier League, Home

After three games on the road, we returned to Nene Park to face relegation-threatened Huddersfield, who actually managed to beat us 0-1 in February. With Newcastle winning two games in three days (against Sunderland and the in-form Man U), they had taken top spot, albeit having played one more game before today.

A counter-attack from a free kick in the second minute saw Richard Hulshoff put us ahead. Sinclair came close with a free in the 30th, which was barely tipped away. Mikhailov and Prahl kept the pressure on with a few shots in a half dominated by Rushden. Strand continued that trend, skimming the bar at the start of the second. Genç made a save when he was finally challenged in the second half, and though we had some very poor finishing from Mikhailov and Strand, that one goal was enough for the win and put us back on top.

Arsenal, Champions League quarter final leg 1, Home

Though they haven't done well in the league, Arsenal have at least made it this far in Europe. We beat them 2-0 in February with goals to Aros and Sinclair.

A 50-yard ball from Gardner created the first chance of the game, with Avila collecting it but unable to beat the keeper. Genç made a great save from former Rushden striker Salvatore Chiappara and again when Sinclair nearly knocked in an own goal. Fellow defender Prahl took advantage at the other end, collecting the ball when it was tackled from Avila and blasting in a goal. It was all Rushden in the second half, though we struggled to turn that into goals. Indeed, it took until the final minute, where a Strand free kick was knocked in for an own goal. 2-0.

Sinclair was third as Player of the Month, and centre back Maladenis was named Young Player of the Month.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Rushden       |       | 31    | 18    | 7     | 6     | 38    | 20    | +18   | 61    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Newcastle     |       | 31    | 17    | 8     | 6     | 39    | 20    | +19   | 59    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Man Utd       |       | 31    | 16    | 6     | 9     | 50    | 34    | +16   | 54    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | West Ham      |       | 31    | 15    | 9     | 7     | 40    | 25    | +15   | 54    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Chelsea       |       | 31    | 15    | 7     | 9     | 40    | 26    | +14   | 52    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Liverpool     |       | 31    | 14    | 9     | 8     | 38    | 27    | +11   | 51    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Bolton        |       | 31    | 14    | 8     | 9     | 33    | 25    | +8    | 50    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Leicester     |       | 31    | 13    | 9     | 9     | 35    | 30    | +5    | 48    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Man City      |       | 31    | 13    | 6     | 12    | 35    | 33    | +2    | 45    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Arsenal       |       | 31    | 11    | 11    | 9     | 31    | 26    | +5    | 44    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Wigan         |       | 31    | 10    | 8     | 13    | 20    | 30    | -10   | 38    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Tottenham     |       | 31    | 9     | 10    | 12    | 24    | 29    | -5    | 37    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Middlesbrough |       | 31    | 10    | 7     | 14    | 38    | 45    | -7    | 37    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Aston Villa   |       | 31    | 10    | 6     | 15    | 31    | 40    | -9    | 36    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Sunderland    |       | 31    | 7     | 14    | 10    | 29    | 31    | -2    | 35    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Leeds         |       | 31    | 8     | 11    | 12    | 28    | 35    | -7    | 35    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Sheff Utd     |       | 31    | 6     | 13    | 12    | 25    | 40    | -15   | 31    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | MK Dons       |       | 31    | 7     | 9     | 15    | 21    | 34    | -13   | 30    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Huddersfield  |       | 31    | 6     | 7     | 18    | 22    | 44    | -22   | 25    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Barnsley      |       | 31    | 3     | 11    | 17    | 17    | 40    | -23   | 20    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

April, 2038

MK Dons, Premier League, Away

Dons are just inside the relegation zone, a point away from safety. Still, they knocked us out of the FA Cup in January and though they lost defender Steve McDermott for ₤8.25M to Sunderland, they still have a solid team. Né returned for Rushden, with Nuno out injured.

Lekovic struck with the first shot of the game for a 10th minute lead. Dons likewise had success with their first attempt to make it 1-1 in the 20th, only for Né to restore the lead in his comeback game. Just like he did on début against West Ham in January, Né made it a brace just before half time. Kristian Strand was unlucky not to get a goal himself, skimming the bar twice with free kicks. Sinclair was likewise unsuccessful, but when Mikhailov was fouled in the area, Zbozinek made it 4-1 from the spot. Dons hit back again with their second of the game through Norway striker Ole-Kristian Dahlen. Né quickly nullified that, completing his hat-trick with the help of a sharp pass from Strand. Though it was disturbing that Mete conceded two goals against such a weak side, it was great to see Né step up in place of Nuno.

Arsenal, Champions League quarter final leg 1, Away

Having scored twice and not conceded a goal at home, we had a substantial advantage going into this second leg. A terrific run from Avila almost resulted in a goal within 30 seconds, and in the 13th he got reward for his effort. Genç made a good save to keep out a header from former Rushden defender Kristian Gaup in the 25th, and with Gonzalez floating a pass over the defence, Avila scored his second. Gaup did score for Arsenal just before half time to make it 4-1 on aggregate, but on the other side, Avila completed his hat-trick. Two hat-tricks in a row from part-time forwards. Alexis Aros returned from injury late in the game and managed to get through, albeit without much impact. A big 5-1 aggregate win.

Aston Villa, Premier League, Home

Villa are in 16th place but are two games clear of relegation. Despite their precarious position, they made no transfers in January. With injuries to their two leading scorers, Scotland striker Gary Sutherland and Saudi winger/forward Faisal Al-Yami, their next most prolific scorer is veteran centre back Jamie Richards, with just three from 34 games.

It was actually a Rushden defender, Prahl, with the first shot of the game. His effort inside 30 seconds was saved, and we wasted a lot of chances after that. Mikhailov and Strand were particular culprits as we failed to score from nine shots. Just before half time, Strand was finally on target with a 30-yard free, and we took the lead. Young Swiss striker Valentin Ouattara made his début late in the game. Prahl finished the game with the goal he nearly got in the opening seconds, for a 2-0 win. Newcastle defeated Leicester, keeping the gap between us at four points with five games left.

Barnsley, Premier League, Home

Barnsley are dead last on the table and while mathematically they can survive, it looks unlikely. However, they beat us 0-1 back in February and no doubt will be trying to repeat that performance again. 33-year-old Brazil striker Emerson has fourteen goals for the season.

Like the last game, we had a shot on target in less than half a minute. This time, it was veteran Aros, who had his volley held. Hulshoff and Strand came close, and when Né had an effort parried in the 15th, midfielder Pál ducked in to score. The second half was less than convincing, with Né and Hulshoff repeatedly off-target. Thankfully, they posed little threat, and a single goal was enough. Though West Ham and Manchester United were knocked out of contention with losses to Liverpool and Man City respectively, Newcastle defeated Huddersfield to remain four points away.

Milan, Champions League semi final leg 1, Away

Milan are third in Serie A, having won the league for four seasons in a row. We knocked them out of this competition back in 2036. Three of their most expensive players are out injured, which still leaves them with a pair of former Rushden strikers – Samba Fofana and Marcel Huisman, valued at over ₤25M between them. They have another ex-Rushden player, Adi Azulay, in the midfield, with England left back Alex Wordsworth and Belgium keeper Eugene Sagna among their stars.

Early misses from Strand and Hulshoff wasted good chances, particularly the latter after a great pass from Avila. Milan, in contrast, scored with their first attempt – a header from a 19th minute corner. Né and Hulshoff started to get on target after that, though they were still unable to score. A miss from Avila ended a disappointing half. Genç made a few saves in the second half, though Rushden had the balance of the play. I brought on midfielder Nenad Lekovic to add a bit of a running threat, yet he managed to score from a header from a Hulshoff corner in the 79th. With a late save from Genç, it was 1-1 with a slight away goals advantage to Rushden.

Newcastle, Premier League, Home

Back to the league to face the side which is our only realistic challenger for the title. West Ham, in third spot, have 63 points from 35 games, while Newcastle and Rushden each have played 34 games for 66 and 70 points respectively. A Gonzalez goal was the difference when we last met in December. Their only squad change since then was the addition of a backup defender, with England midfielder Dean Cartwright and striker Henry Lopez heavily relied upon.

A free kick from Sinclair and volley from Mikhailov were saved in the first ten minutes. A Gardner cross into the area in the 23rd was cut out and the winger soon left the pitch with an injury. Substitute Lekovic tried to replicate his effort of the previous game with a shot in the 40th, but missed. However, a counter-attack saw Né give Rushden the lead just before half time. Newcastle did not have an on-target shot for the game, and had just three attempts. Our lone goal took us seven points clear with three games to go. Gardner was put out for a month with a fractured arm.

Milan, Champions League semi final leg 2, Home

A slight advantage to Rushden after a 1-1 away draw. Former Rushden midfielder Adi Azulay made Genç work on a few occasions, but from one of those saves, we launched a counter-attack which saw Gonzalez score a ripping 30-yard goal. Genç kept out a shot from inside the box in the 30th but was chipped by Huisman a minute later. That made the aggregate 2-2, and we cannot afford to concede another away goal. Avila missed a similar chip at the other end to leave things level at half time. We lost scorer Gonzalez just after the break, which was particularly unfortunate as he had been our best player. Substitute Aros had the only shot of the second half, firing in a volley from a Strand cross which was punched clear. That took us to extra time.

Extra time did not get off to a good start, with Holm sent off inside two minutes for an errant elbow. Like the second half, there were few chances. Indeed, the first was in the 112th, when a long shot from Avila was punched over. Né was ruled offside when he went to collect a ball in the box, and Aros skimmed the bar with a free. However, Né finally put us back ahead with a powerful drive from inside the area. That made the difference, putting us into the final with a 3-2 aggregate. However, Gonzalez will miss the final with broken ribs.

With three league games left and a seven-point gap between Rushden and Newcastle, the title seems to be ours yet again. We face three mid-table sides – Arsenal, Leeds and Man City – while Newcastle have the lowly Barnsley and MK Dons as well as Leeds. It's a better run than ours, but any slip from Newcastle should hand us the title.

Mikhailov was named Player of the Month and Né was Young Player of the Month

[Donners]

May, 2038

Newcastle began the month with a 1-1 draw to 19th placed Barnsley, meaning that even a draw in any of our three remaining games would equal title number seven.

Arsenal, Premier League, Away

This is our fourth game against Arsenal in three months, with 2-0, 2-0 and 3-1 wins recorded. The likes of Sinclair, Pál, Genç and Strand were given a rest. Arsenal took the lead in the 34th minute, with Rushden yet to have a shot. We really did not look like equalising, and with just three shots for the game, did not deserve to. However, they did not have any more shots than we did, so we were perhaps unlucky to record a loss. That left the title race open for at least one more game.

Leeds, Premier League, Home

We knocked Leeds out of the Carling Cup on penalties and beat them 1-0 in an EPL match in November. Despite not making any transfers mid-season, they have escaped relegation and sit sixteenth. Holland striker Jelmer Meland has 14 goals for the season

Meland earned a save from Genc in the early minutes, and we took the lead through Pál when a shot from Holden was parried to him. Leeds had the better of the first half despite this, hitting the bar with one shot and equalising with a long-range effort in the 30th. Ronald Vargas, who hasn't played since March and has played just four games since January, also scored from a parry. This time it was Avila's shot across goal which was parried, and again we went ahead. Hulshoff tried to make it three from similar circumstances, but couldn't beat the keeper with his follow-up just before half time. With Newcastle three goals up against Dons, it was vital we at least managed a draw, with just one goal and six points between us. If Leeds could win 2-3, it would mean we would be just three points ahead with inferior goal difference going into the final game.

Leeds had so much of the play in the second half, yet did not seem to convert it into genuine threats. Avila proved his class by doing just that, collecting a cross from Zbozinek and scoring in the 75th. Leeds got a belated second, but it didn't matter – 3-2 to Rushden, and despite Newcastle's win, we remained six points clear and took a fourth straight title.

Manchester City, Premier League, Home

City are in eighth place despite not making a single signing all season. They have somehow lost all four senior strikers to injury. With the Champions League final ten days away, there wasn't a huge need to rest players, but I brought in Aros and Vargas for what looked like their final Rushden games, and gave Norway Under 21 defensive midfielder Erik Meland his début.

A long ball down the right from Majrashi set up Avila, who put us ahead in the 11th. Avila collected a parry from his own shot in the 40th for a 2-0 lead as Rushden dominated the final league game of the season. The second half was dull and also costly, with Né to miss the final due to an ankle injury.

Valencia, Champions League Final, Neutral

Valencia are third in La Liga, and have knocked off the likes of Lazio and Real Madrid to get this far. They won this competition in 3034 and 3035. Two of their former Rushden players, forward Fabien Lesage and keeper Jorge Cantú, were out injured for this game. However, they did feature three ex-Rushden players, left back Sergio Santaella, striker Denis Larrainzar and midfielder Adrian Tinoco, in addition to Norway defender Sven Sorum and ₤25M Uruguay striker and World Footballer of the Year Carlos Valdez among their star-studded side. We were missing Maladenis, Majrashi, Mikhailov and Vargas (ineligible), Holm (suspended) and Né, Nuno, Gardner, Oliva and Gonzalez (injured). With so many forwards and attacking midfielders out, I actually had to start Aros as the attacking midfielder, with Hulshoff and Avila as the strikers.

We conceded a corner in barely a minute, and only a poor shot from Sorum avoided a goal from it. Hulshoff hit the side netting from a tight angle a minute later, but from a rocket of a Valdez shot, Valencia took the lead in the 11th. Even when Hulshoff collected the ball unopposed in the area from a long Strand pass, he couldn't beat the keeper. Valdez added another before half time, and it looked all over.

We offered no resistance at all until there were just six minutes to go. Strand took the ball away from Valdez on the left and flicked it clear to Aros. He centred to Zbozinek, who lobbed the ball forward. It went over the defence and into the area. Avila and Spain keeper Iker Uriarte raced for it, and our Argentina forward got there first. He dodged around neatly and scored. That brought us to 1-2, but there were just six minutes left. Just three of those minutes later, Strand went down the left and passed to substitute Oliva, playing his first game since February. He passed across to partner Avila, who scored his second. Rushden celebrated...until the linesman's flag was noticed. It was ruled offside, and we were still down with the game almost over. As we ticked into injury time, the ball was played back to Genç. Prahl brought the ball forward, and though his pass was intercepted, Oliva stole it back. He found long-time team-mate Aros, who advanced on the keeper. His through ball was perfect for Avila, and this time it stood. 2-2, and the whistle blew a minute later.

That brought us to injury time, just like the semi final. This time, there was no Né to score the winner. A shot from the red-hot Avila was saved, and an Aros free in the 101st was held. Valencia counter-attacked, but shot wide. Prahl intercepted a dangerous pass to Valdez in the second half and Genç made a great save from a free. Oliva shot right across the face of goal from a tight angle, with the ball so wide it went for a throw-in. With a last-minute Rushden corner held, the final was left to be decided on penalties.

Aros, in his 319th and final Rushden game, scored the first. Both that and Zbozinek's second were answered by Valencia. James Gibbs, brought on for his penalty-taking ability late in extra time took the third...and had it saved. Valencia went ahead after that, and with Avila likewise unsuccessful, they scored their fourth. 2-4 on penalties, and a loss in the Final to Rushden.

[Donners]

The season in review

Summary

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   | ECC   | Rushden       |       | 38    | 24    | 7     | 7     | 52    | 25    | +27   | 79    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   | ECC   | Newcastle     |       | 38    | 20    | 11    | 7     | 48    | 24    | +24   | 71    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   | ECC   | West Ham      |       | 38    | 20    | 10    | 8     | 51    | 30    | +21   | 70    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   | ECC   | Man Utd       |       | 38    | 20    | 6     | 12    | 57    | 43    | +14   | 66    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   | UC    | Liverpool     |       | 38    | 18    | 10    | 10    | 51    | 33    | +18   | 64    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   | UC    | Chelsea       |       | 38    | 18    | 9     | 11    | 45    | 29    | +16   | 63    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   | ITC   | Leicester     |       | 38    | 16    | 12    | 10    | 43    | 35    | +8    | 60    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Bolton        |       | 38    | 16    | 11    | 11    | 41    | 31    | +10   | 59    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Man City      |       | 38    | 16    | 9     | 13    | 45    | 37    | +8    | 57    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Arsenal       |       | 38    | 14    | 12    | 12    | 39    | 32    | +7    | 54    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  | UC    | Middlesbrough |       | 38    | 11    | 13    | 14    | 50    | 52    | -2    | 46    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Sunderland    |       | 38    | 9     | 17    | 12    | 34    | 38    | -4    | 44    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Wigan         |       | 38    | 10    | 14    | 14    | 23    | 37    | -14   | 44    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Aston Villa   |       | 38    | 12    | 6     | 20    | 37    | 54    | -17   | 42    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Tottenham     |       | 38    | 9     | 14    | 15    | 29    | 38    | -9    | 41    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Leeds         |       | 38    | 9     | 13    | 16    | 36    | 48    | -12   | 40    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Sheff Utd     |       | 38    | 7     | 15    | 16    | 32    | 51    | -19   | 36    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  | R     | MK Dons       |       | 38    | 8     | 9     | 21    | 24    | 49    | -25   | 33    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  | R     | Barnsley      |       | 38    | 6     | 13    | 19    | 23    | 44    | -21   | 31    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  | R     | Huddersfield  |       | 38    | 6     | 11    | 21    | 26    | 56    | -30   | 29    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|  

| Pkd    | Inf    | Name                 | Position   | Morale    | Form       | Con    | Apps   | Gls    | Av Rat | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC     | Hol    | Craig Sinclair       | D C        | Very Good | 7-7-8-7-7  | 100%   | 51     | 6      | 7.51   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC     | Hol    | Pereira              | D C        | Very Good | 7-6-7-7-7  | 100%   | 49     | 1      | 7.18   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DMC    | Hol    | Attila Pál           | DM         | Very Good | 7-7-8-7-7  | 100%   | 46 (2) | 4      | 7.17   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MR     | Hol    | Nenad Lekovic        | AM RC      | Very Good | 7-7-8-7-7  | 100%   | 38 (4) | 3      | 7.38   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC     | Hol    | Fredrik Prahl        | D C, DM    | Very Good | 7-7-7-8-7  | 100%   | 38 (2) | 3      | 7.15   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC     | Hol    | Ricardo Avila        | AM/F C     | Very Good | 7-7-8-8-8  | 100%   | 37 (3) | 16     | 7.33   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Hol    | Inge Holm            | D C        | Good      | 7-6-7-8-8  | 100%   | 35     | 2      | 7.43   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DMC    | Hol    | Petr Zbozinek        | DM, AM RC  | Very Good | 8-7-7-8-7  | 100%   | 32 (5) | 5      | 7.22   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC     | Hol    | Richard Hulshoff     | AM L, ST   | Good      | 7-6-6-6-6  | 100%   | 30 (6) | 8      | 6.86   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| ML     | Hol    | Kristian Strand      | AM L       | Very Good | 7-7-7-7-8  | 100%   | 30 (1) | 4      | 7.35   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| GK     | Hol    | Aslan Genç           | GK         | Very Good | 7-7-7-7-7  | 100%   | 30     | -      | 7.07   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S2     | Hol    | James Gibbs          | D C, DM    | Okay      | 7-7-7-8-7  | 95%    | 25 (5) | -      | 7.10   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S5     | Hol    | Dominic Holden       | AM L       | Good      | 7-7-7-7-7  | 99%    | 25 (3) | 2      | 7.21   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Hol    | Anastasios Maladenis | D C        | Very Good | 7-7-7-7-7  | 100%   | 24     | -      | 7.08   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S1     | Hol    | Inanç Mete           | GK         | Good      | 7-7-7-6-7  | 99%    | 23     | -      | 6.83   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Inj    | Nuno                 | ST         | Good      | 6-8-7-7-7  | 33%    | 19 (4) | 14     | 7.30   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Inj    | Jesús González       | AM C       | Okay      | 7-7-8-7-8  | 50%    | 18 (6) | 5      | 7.13   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S6     | Hol    | José Antonio Oliva   | AM/F C     | Very Good | 7-7-8-7-7  | 95%    | 17 (2) | 2      | 6.95   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Hol    | Nicky Gardner        | AM R       | Good      | 5-7-8-7-7  | 92%    | 16 (1) | -      | 6.88   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S7     | Hol    | Anderson             | ST         | Good      | 8-7-7-7-7  | 99%    | 15 (6) | 5      | 6.90   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Hol    | Eugeny Mikhailov     | ST         | Good      | 7-10-7-7-7 | 96%    | 15 (3) | 6      | 6.89   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Hol    | Rónald Vargas        | AM LC      | Very Good | 7-7-7-7-7  | 96%    | 13 (6) | 1      | 6.95   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| AMC    | Hol    | Alexis Aros          | AM C       | Very Good | 7-8-7-7-7  | 100%   | 11 (3) | 1      | 7.07   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Hol    | Mohamed Né           | AM LC, F C | Very Good | 7-7-8-7-7  | 69%    | 11 (2) | 7      | 7.15   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Hol    | Nikos Skouras        | D/WB L     | Good      | 7-7-7-7-8  | 95%    | 8 (2)  | -      | 6.70   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Hol    | Mohammed Majrashi    | AM R       | Good      | 6-7-7-6-8  | 96%    | 7 (1)  | 1      | 6.88   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Hol    | Rafael               | ST         | Good      | 8-7-7-7-7  | 95%    | 5 (1)  | 1      | 7.33   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S3     | Hol    | Dan Spellman         | D/M RC     | Good      | 6-6-6-7-6  | 95%    | 2 (3)  | -      | 6.20   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S4     | Hol    | Erik Meland          | DM         | Good      | 7-8-6-7-7  | 95%    | 1      | -      | 7.00   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -      | Hol    | Valentin Ouattara    | ST         | Okay      | 9-7-6-6-7  | 95%    | 0 (3)  | -      | 6.33   | 
| -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|  

Lekovic was the surprise runner-up as PFA Player of the Year, with Sinclair third. Both players made the Team of the Season. I was Manager of the Year. Holm, Strand, Sinclair, Avila and Lekovic made the Champions League Dream Team.

Winning the title for the fourth straight season (and seventh in eight seasons) is undoubtedly a good achievement, though falling short in the Carling Cup and Champions League at the final hurdle is frustrating. This was very much a transitional season, with two of our greatest players – Vargas and Aros – in their final season. With star forward Fabien Lesage and regular keeper Al-Dossari also departing, this was quite a different side, and to still dominate England was a positive.

We also suffered a number of difficulties during the season, with Spellman, Aros, Gardner, Oliva, Gonzalez and Nuno missing the majority of the year. Thankfully, younger players stepped up. Genç, Holm, Maladenis, Prahl and Gibbs were among those who earned regular senior spots. It didn't look too good mid-way through the season though, and I made a number of signings to try and boost the side. However, Né was the only one who had a major impact, so the others stepped up – particularly

Genç.

Striking was clearly our biggest problem, with Avila, intended to be a midfielder, leading the scoring. Other part-time forwards like Hulshoff and Né also scored a decent number, with Oliva, Anderson, Mikhailov and Rafael ineffective. Strand and Lekovic dominated the wings and Sinclair and Holm were rock solid in defence.

The reserves and Under 18s won their leagues by a long way.

Around the world: major awards and results

Rushden Supporters’ Player of the Year:

Ricardo Avila

World Player of the Year:

Neal Herbert (Man U)

World Footballer of the Year:

Carlos Valdez (Valencia)

England:

Winner: Rushden \o/

Relegated: MK Dons, Barnsley, Huddersfield

Promoted: West Brom, Nottingham Forest, Everton

Spain:

Real Madrid

Italy

Lazio

Champions League:

Valencia

UEFA Cup:

Man U

2038 World Cup

South Korea

[Donners]

The Transfers

Players In

| Date               | Person             | From                 | Fee                | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Herreros, David    | Celta                | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Haddad, Abderrazak | Fiorentina           | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Legrand, Jacques   | Istres               | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Meland, Erik       | Rosenborg            | £950K              | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14.7.2037          | Duff, Andy         | Ross County          | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16.7.2037          | Avila, Ricardo     | Werder Bremen        | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17.7.2037          | Figueroa, Rafael   | León                 | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.7.2037          | Mertakkas, Michalis| Apollon L.           | £75K               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.8.2037           | Tate, Dave         | Cork City            | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 31.8.2037          | Molina, Fabián     | Universidad de Chile | £14K               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13.10.2037         | van Strien, Gerard | Free Transfer        | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.12.2037          | Olsen, Jan Fredrik | Odd Grenland         | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.12.2037          | Haug, Morten       | Start                | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.1.2038           | Guild, Gary        | Barnsley             | £1M                | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.1.2038           | Knol, Erik         | Murcia               | £1.9M              | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.1.2038           | van Persie, Marco  | Livorno              | £3.2M              | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.1.2038           | Né, Mohamed        | Recreativo           | £3.3M              | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.1.2038           | Majrashi, Mohammed | Real Madrid          | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14.1.2038          | Ulmer, Robert      | Admira Wacker        | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15.3.2038          | Stiansen, Eivind   | Start                | Free               | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total              |                      | £10.5M             | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|

Players Out

| Date               | Person                   | To                 | Fee                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.6.2037          | Barnett, Lee             | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Paunovic, Dusan          | Lyon               | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | De Vito, Davide          | Cesena             | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Santaella, Sergio        | Valencia           | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Romanov, Nikolay         | Udinese            | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Lesage, Fabien           | Valencia           | £33.5M             | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Averjanov, Marat         | West Brom          | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Al-Abdullah, Yaser       | Newcastle          | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Hopfer, Michael          | Norwich            | £2M                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Portillo, Juan Francisco | AZ                 | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Larrainzar, Denis        | Valencia           | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Mínguez, Miguel          | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Carril, Alexis           | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Wheeldon, Luke           | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Garner, David            | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Stewart, Justin          | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.7.2037           | Kirk, Sam                | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14.7.2037          | Fofana, Samba            | Milan              | £7.5M              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16.7.2037          | Nushi, Alban             | Leeds              | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.8.2037           | Morgan, Lee              | Free Transfer      | Free               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.1.2038           | Al-Dossari, Abdullah     | West Ham           | £7M                | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9.1.2038           | Henden, Even             | Napoli             | £5.5M              | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total                    |                    | £56M               | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Loans Out

| Date               | Person                | To                 | Fee                | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19.6.2037          | Edman, Per            | Aberdeen           | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 23.6.2037          | Robson, Tom           | Dundee Utd         | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 25.6.2037          | Rexhaj, Bjørn         | Hearts             | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20.7.2037          | Figueroa, Rafael      | Offenbach          | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 21.7.2037          | Haddad, Abderrazak    | Offenbach          | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 23.7.2037          | Saad, Wisam           | Offenbach          | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2.8.2037           | Gandía, Antonio       | Clyde              | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5.8.2037           | Legrand, Jacques      | Portsmouth         | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8.8.2037           | Clément, Jean-Charles | Clyde              | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8.8.2037           | Bigné, Yassin         | Yeovil             | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 26.8.2037          | Marsden, Julian       | Huddersfield       | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 27.8.2037          | de Haan, Dennis       | Burnley            | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 31.8.2037          | Molina, Fabián        | Offenbach          | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 31.8.2037          | Williams, Lee         | Airdrie Utd        | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1.9.2037           | Tóth, Lajos           | Brentford          | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 24.1.2038          | Duff, Andy            | Yeovil             | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3.2.2038           | Tóth, Lajos           | Ipswich            | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 23.2.2038          | Beale, Alex           | Q.P.R.             | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10.3.2038          | Legrand, Jacques      | Hull               | Loan               | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
|                    | Total                 |                    | £0                 | 
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Unusually, there was a fair bit of money spent on new players. Much of that was in January when it looked like we would fall short of the title race. However, only Né had a substantial impact, with Majrashi injured and the others in the reserves. The best signing turned out to be a free one taken as a backup – Ricardo Avila, who was named Supporters' Player of the Year and led the scoring. The other new faces will take time to develop.

Though we earned ₤56M from sales, most of that came from forward Lesage. We certainly could have used him, but we did get a good sum for him. Al-Abdullah and Romanov didn't do much at their new sides, though Santaella and Larrainzar joined Lesage as regulars at Champions League winners Valencia.

Of the players loaned out, Tom Robson made the SPL Team of the Year and Bjorn Rexhaj was PFA Young Player of the Year.

[Donners]

Pre-season, 38/39

More than ₤44M was paid out to shareholders. We were ranked third in Europe, behind Newcastle and Valencia, and went to 12th on the rich list.

Ironically, my Norway side was knocked out of the World Cup by Australia. I barely held onto my job, and will be unlikely to last much longer. Still, I rejected job offers from Portugal and Mexico.

There were significant transfers when the window opened in July. Nicky Gardner left for Milan, having refused a transfer which would have seen us receive almost ₤20M. Lajos Tóth went to Leeds and Ronald Vargas to Italian champions Lazio. Backup defender Yassin Bigne was sold to Udinese for ₤1.3M and Mark Little went to Wigan for ₤170K. I made the hard decision to release club legend Alexis Aros and veteran Julian Marsden. Between them, Aros, Vargas and Marsden played nearly 700 senior games for Rushden.

We picked up a quarter of right back Richard Nilsen's ₤24M move from Roma to Valencia. While I turned down bids for defender Maladenis and keeper Nelson, I decided to offer under-performing striker Mikhailov. While an initial deal with Juventus fell through, I managed to sell him to Deportivo for ₤15M.

Coaches Gjoko Andonov and Vasily Makarov and assistant Nazzareno Provenzano left to join other clubs. Lower league players Kirk Moore and Massimo Pinto replaced the coaches and ex-Milan and Portugal defender Ferreira (who was sold from Rushden for ₤17.5M after just one season) joined as the new assistant.

[Donners]

The Club

Home Ground: Nene Park, Irthlingborough - capacity 48,550

Rivals: Kettering, Northampton (fierce); Peterborough, Oxford, Luton

Reputation: Worldwide

Estimated Value: ₤193M

Balance ₤971M

Transfer Budget: ₤562M

Media Prediction: 1st

Board Expectation: Win the title

Fan Expectation: Win the title

Staff

Chairman: Ryan Woods

Assistant Manager: Ferreira

Coaches: Robert Bicanic, Cosimo Bodini, Dmitry Belkov. Greg Paterson, Rudiger Bruns, Matteo Pizzi, Kirk Moore, Massimo Pinto (General)

Physios: Carmine Laurenza, Edson

Scouts: Andy McWilliam, Drew Black, Danny Russell, Martin Kaya, Esteban, Fraser Soutar

The Squad

| Pkd     | Inf     | Name                 | No.     | Squad Status | Cnt     | Weekly wage | Expires   | Value   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC      | Bid     | Pereira              | 13      | First Team   | F/T     | £28,000     | 30.6.2039 | £2.9M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S5      |         | José Antonio Oliva   | 18      | First Team   | F/T     | £45,000     | 30.6.2039 | £13.25M | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC      |         | Craig Sinclair       | 6       | First Team   | F/T     | £40,000     | 30.6.2041 | £15.5M  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DMC     | Wnt     | Attila Pál           | 37      | First Team   | F/T     | £21,500     | 30.6.2041 | £17M    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S4      | Wnt     | Dominic Holden       | 19      | First Team   | F/T     | £42,500     | 30.6.2041 | £16M    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| ML      | Wnt     | Kristian Strand      | 30      | First Team   | F/T     | £24,500     | 30.6.2041 | £17.25M | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S3      | Bid     | Petr Zbozinek        | 34      | Rotation     | F/T     | £10,000     | 30.6.2040 | £2.7M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Bid     | Inanç Mete           | 33      | Rotation     | F/T     | £7,250      | 30.6.2039 | £3M     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S2      | Inj     | Dan Spellman         | 4       | Rotation     | F/T     | £25,500     | 30.6.2039 | £8.25M  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC      | Inj     | Nuno                 | 39      | Rotation     | F/T     | £12,500     | 30.6.2041 | £11.25M | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| MR      | Wnt     | Nenad Lekovic        | 22      | Rotation     | F/T     | £22,500     | 30.6.2041 | £14M    | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Jesús González       | 32      | Rotation     | F/T     | £12,250     | 30.6.2041 | £6.75M  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DMC     | Bid     | James Gibbs          | 17      | Rotation     | F/T     | £12,500     | 30.6.2041 | £4.1M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| FC      | Inj     | Mohamed Né           | 8       | Rotation     | F/T     | £2,600      | 30.6.2041 | £5.5M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Richard Hulshoff     | 36      | Backup       | F/T     | £25,500     | 30.6.2039 | £4.7M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Inj     | Leandro              | 16      | Backup       | F/T     | £16,500     | 30.6.2041 | £8.5M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       |         | Marek Piwowarczyk    | 35      | Backup       | F/T     | £13,250     | 30.6.2040 | £2.2M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| GK      | Wnt     | Aslan Genç           | 1       | Backup       | F/T     | £3,000      | 30.6.2039 | £3.2M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| AMC     | Wnt     | Ricardo Avila        | 11      | Backup       | F/T     | £25,000     | 30.6.2040 | £8.25M  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| S1      | Wnt     | Fredrik Prahl        | 28      | Backup       | F/T     | £4,000      | 30.6.2040 | £7M     | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| DC      | Inj     | Inge Holm            | 29      | Backup       | F/T     | £3,300      | 30.6.2041 | £8.75M  | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Bid     | Anastasios Maladenis | 27      | Backup       | F/T     | £3,600      | 30.6.2042 | £3.5M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Inj     | David Herreros       | 2       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £7,000      | 30.6.2039 | £2.5M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Wnt     | Bjørn Rexhaj         | 9       | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £11,500     | 30.6.2041 | £3.5M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| -       | Bid     | Nikos Skouras        | 21      | Hot Prospect | F/T     | £825        | 30.6.2040 | £2.6M   | 
| ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

Wage Budget: £5,004,181

Total Weekly Wages at 10/8/38: £486,930

Senior Players: 19

Reserve Players: 47

U-18 Players: 13

[Note that players classed as Backup, Prospect or Youngster will not be profiled (with a few exceptions), and are regarded as reserve players]

Player [Pos, Nationality, Height, Age] – Rushden Seasons, Rushden League Games, Rushden League Goals

Goalkeepers

Aslan Genç [GK, TUR – 3 Caps, 176cm, 24] – 5, 19, 0

Stepped up when Al-Dossari left to overtake Mete and become our number one keeper. He's still young for a keeper and will hopefully sign a long-term deal this season.

Inanç Mete [GK, TUR – 5 Caps, 185cm, 29] – 2, 25, 0

Though pushed aside somewhat by his fellow Turkey international, Mete is still a useful part of the side. This is the final year of his contract, and with a stack of other keepers at the club, he will have to work to keep his spot.

Mario Milojevic [GK, AUT – 3 Caps, 179cm, 22] – 3, 0, 0

Next in line, Milojevic played a full season at Hearts last year and looked good. He has all the makings of a star.

Defenders

Per Edman [D/Wb/M L, SWE – 1 Cap, 179cm, 20] – 2, 0, 0

A versatile player who has spent a few years out on loan. He played a pretty solid SPL season with Aberdeen and while he certainly has some developing to do, he could be a useful player in the future.

James Gibbs [D C/DM, ENG – 9 U21 caps, 181cm, 22] – 5, 34, 0

Still not performing as well as he should, but clearly a quick and skilled player who is a good midfielder and defender.

David Herreros [D R, ESP – capped at U19 level, 177cm, 23] – 1, 0, 0

Did not play at all in his first season, albeit in a side which didn't use full backs. He will miss the first month with a hamstring injury.

Inge Holm [D C, NOR – 2 Caps, 181cm, 22] – 4, 23, 1

Finally got to make both his senior and international début, and did better than his skill seemed to predict. He is a solid defender and will again be a regular in the side.

Young Player of the Month November 2037, December 2037; Champions League Dream Team 37/38

Anastasios Maladenis [D C, GRE – 4 Caps, 176cm, 22] – 3, 18, 0

Did a terrific job in his first season in the seniors and really looks to have developed as a player. He's signed for four more years and should be an important member of the side.

Premier League Young Player of the Month March 2038

Michalis Mertakkas [D C, CYP – 13 Caps, 183cm, 19] – 0, 0, 0

Tall, strong and brave, Mertakkas certainly looks worth his ₤75K fee. He will probably be loaned out this season, but is one to watch.

Pereira [D C, BRA – 62 Caps, 181cm, 34] – 4, 96, 0

Continued to lead the defence and played 29 league games despite nearing the end of his career. Still has the pace and skill which have made him a force for many years.

UEFA Defender of the Year runner up 2026

Marek Piwowarczyk [D LC/M L, POL – 11 Caps, 173cm, 27] – 0, 0, 0

An unusually mature signing, on a free transfer from Rangers. He is a well-rounded utility who can play a backup role for several positions.

Fredrik Prahl [D C/DM, SWE – 18 Caps, 184cm, 22] – 3, 22, 1

Another player who stepped up after several seasons on loan, Prahl played 40 games last season, where his pace and passing ability out of defence were particularly valuable.

Craig Sinclair [D C, ENG – 29 Caps, 180cm, 24] – 5, 103, 9

Probably now the star of the side, having played 51 games with a remarkable average rating of 7.51. He also scored five league goals from free kicks, making him a threat at both ends of the pitch.

Premier League Young Player of the Month January 2034, February 2034; Premier League Player of the Month December 2036, December 2037; Champions League Best Player 2034, Champions League Dream Team 33/34, 35/36, 36/37; PFA Player of the Year third placed 37/38; Premier League Team of the Season 37/38

#3 best Rushden average rating, #5 most Rushden Man of the Match awards

Nikos Skouras [D/Wb L, GRE – 1 Cap, 178cm, 22] – 2, 7, 0

Did not play much last season, since I didn't use a left back. He may face the same problem this season.

Dan Spellman [D/M RC, ENG – 40 Caps, 179cm, 25] – 7, 126, 5

Missed almost all of last season and is already injured this season. This is the last year of his contract, and it's hard to justifying paying someone who is constantly injured.

Premier League Young Player of the Month October 2031, August 2032, September 2032; Premier League Player of the Month December 2037; PFA Young Player of the Year runner-up 2033, 2034; PFA Player of the Year third placed 2038; Champions League Dream Team 32/33, 33/34, 35/36, 36/37, 37/38; Champions League Best Player 2033; Premier League Team of the Season 37/38

Midfielders

Ricardo Avila [AM/F C, ARG – 8 Caps, 184cm, 27] – 1, 23, 8

The big success of last season, Avila took over from Lesage and was almost as good as that star. I prefer to play him as an attacking midfielder to use his passing skill, but he scored well as a striker.

South American Team of the Year 2034, Werder Bremen Supporters' Player of the Year 34/35; Champions League Dream Team 37/38; Supporters Player of the Year 37/38

Jesus González [AM C, VEN – 38 Caps, 178cm, 26] – 5, 67, 7

Returned from a season without senior action to find a regular role in Aros' old spot. He did miss three months through injury, which is a concern, but his long shooting means he is always a danger when on the pitch.

Dominic Holden [AM L, ENG – 9 Caps, 182cm, 24] – 6, 48, 5

Was not as impressive last season, with just sixteen games, one goal and one assist in the league. That's not really good enough for a player valued at ₤16M, especially with a competitor for his spot.

SPL Young Player of the Month February 2033, December 2033, January 2034; Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year runner-up 2034; Premier League Young Player of the Month October 2034, December 2034, March 2035; English PFA Young Player of the Year 2035; Champions League Best Player runner up 36/37

Leandro [AM RL, BRA – 23 Caps, 180cm, 26] – 0, 0, 0

A new free signing as a more versatile replacement for Gardner. For some reason, he has not played a senior game with Benfica for two years. His skills and pace are mediocre at best, but he can certainly score goals and set them up with crosses. A backup.

Jacques Legrand [AM LC, SWI – 6 Caps, 176cm, 22] – 1, 0, 0

Played at two Championship clubs on loan last season and looked okay. He has good pace and skill and at his age, it's probably time he started challenging for a spot.

Nenad Lekovic [AM RC, SER – 24 Caps, 183cm, 26] – 4, 25, 2

Did well after finally earning his work permit, playing a full season on the right wing and as an attacking midfielder when needed. He's signed up for a while and should be an important member of the side.

Champions League Dream Team 37/38; PFA Player of the Year runner-up 2038

Mohammed Majrashi [AM R, SAU – 5 Caps, 173cm, 28] – 1, 7, 1

Was not overly impressive after joining mid-season, missing a month with a knee injury and failing to secure a spot. With Gardner gone, he has a bit more of a chance.

Erik Meland [DM, NOR – 4 U21 caps, 181cm, 22] – 1, 1, 0

A ₤950K signing who was spotted through my international management and made his début late last season. He has terrific skills, both defensively and as a midfielder, but is mentally weak.

Mohamed Né [AM LC/F, IVO – 8 Caps, 172cm, 21] – 1, 9, 4

Very impressive after his ₤3.3M move, scoring seven goals across all competitions in just thirteen games. He lacks pace and aggression, but is undoubtedly a threat.

Premier League Young Player of the Month April 2038

Attila Pál [DM, HUN – 26 Caps, 182cm, 26] – 7, 85, 7

Was injury-free last season and played a very solid role in the side. I'd like him to be more involved in setting up goals.

Kristian Strand [AM L, NOR – 13 Caps, 184cm, 23] – 5, 54, 4

Had a pretty good season, only playing half the league games but creating seven goals in those. He is certainly a valuable player, though far from irreplaceable.

SPL Young Player of the Month October 2034, November 2034; Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year 2035; SPL Team of the Year 34/35; Premier League Young Player of the Month December 2035; Champions League Dream Team 35/36, 37/38

Petr Zbozinek [DM/AM RC, CZE – 50 Caps, 180cm, 29] – 5, 64, 6

Has certainly stepped up after spending a season at Celtic, having now played two very strong seasons since his return. He's a danger with his long-range shots and a good defensive midfielder.

Forwards

Anderson [sT, ITA – 7 U21 caps, 176cm, 21] – 3, 15, 1

Still struggling to have any impact in the league, though he did score well in the Champions League. He's just not living up to his ability.

SPL Young Player of the Month February 2036; Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year 2036

Richard Hulshoff [AM L/ST, HOL – 22 Caps, 177cm, 29] – 3, 31, 8

Really didn't look good last season, and in hindsight I shouldn't have given him 20 league games.

This will be his final year here.

Nuno [sT, POR – 10 Caps, 180cm, 26] – 7, 50, 20

Played much better last season, though he missed much of it through injury. He's signed up for the long term because even though he is less skilful than many forwards in the squad, he at least can

score.

Premier League Player of the Month September 2037

José Antonio Oliva [AM/F C, ESP – 22 Caps, 182cm, 27] – 8, 112, 55

Hard to believe this is a regular golden boot winner, when he scored just two goals from seventeen games. Add plenty more games missed through injury, and you have a miserable season. He must improve.

English PFA Player of the Year 2036, runner-up 2035; Premier League Golden Boot equal winner 34/35; Premier League Team of the Season 34/35, 35/36; Champions League Dream Team 34/35, 35/36, 36/37; Champions League Golden Boot 34/35, 36/37; Supporters Player of the Year 34/35, 35/36

#2 most Rushden goals; #5 most Rushden assists

Rafael [sT, POR – 18 U21 caps, 176cm, 22] – 3, 9, 1

Has some positives, but also plenty of negatives – including a lack of goals. Probably his last season here.

Bjørn Rexhaj [sT, NOR – 7 U21 caps, 175cm, 21] – 2, 0, 0

Scored 13 SPL goals and 18 overall with Hearts in an impressive season. I will keep him around and give him a run with the Rushden seniors..

2038 Scottish PFA Young Player of the Year

Overview

The transition is over and hopefully it's a more settled side this season.

Goalkeeping: Two pretty good options (and several promising ones), with Genç having the edge on last season's form.

Defence: Still not enough full backs, especially at right back. Plenty of options for centre back at least.

Midfield: A reasonable balance, especially with Leandro offering flexibility on either wing.

Forward: Oliva surely couldn't have as bad a season as 37/38, and Nuno and Rexhaj will offer options with the attacking midfielders also rotating through.

First XI

I had intended to switch to a 4-4-2, but with few options for right back (especially with Spellman injured), that's just not possible. Same formation as last season.

GK: Aslan Genç

CB: Inge Holm

CB: Craig Sinclair

CB: Pereira

DM: Attila Pal

DM: James Gibbs

RM: Nenad Lekovic

LM: Kristian Strand

AM: Ricardo Avila

CF: Mohammed Né

CF: Nuno

Sub: Fredrik Prahl

Sub: Jose Antonio Oliva

Sub: Dominic Holden

Sub: Petr Zbozinek

Sub: Dan Spellman

Captain: Pereira, Dan Spellman

Penalties: Petr Zbozinek, Nikos Skouras, James Gibbs

Free Kicks: (L) Kristian Strand, Dominic Holden; ® Craig Sinclair, Nenad Lekovic

Corners: (L) Jesus Gonzalez, Richard Hulshoff; ® Pereira, James Gibbs

Throw Ins: (L) Pereira, Kristian Strand; ® Nenad Lekovic, Petr Zbozinek

Playmaker: Mohammed Né, Ricardo Avila

Target Man: Craig Sinclair, Pereira

[Donners]

August, 2038

Liverpool, Community Shield, Neutral

Liverpool were fifth in the EPL last season and won the FA Cup. Their changes between seasons have been quite minor. Sweden forward Robert Andersson went to Napoli, while UAE left back Khamis Omar (free from Man U) and Brazil defender Marcos (₤2.8M from Alicante) came in.

Both sides looked dangerous from the beginning. Genç made a good save six minutes in, and seconds later we had a free kick at the other end. Pereira floated it in, and fellow defender James Gibbs headed in his first goal for the club. Liverpool did not take long to equalise, with midfielder Freddy Vargas outrunning Prahl to get to a loose ball and volley home. However, Nuno quickly restored the lead, and in the 37th, Né broke through. His shot was parried to Avila, who scored our third. 3-1, and goals to each of our three attacking players. There were good saves for both sides in the second half, and the score remained the same at the final whistle. Our fifth Community Shield win. Leandro made his Rushden début in the second half.

Arsenal, Premier League, Away

Arsenal fell all the way to 10th last season; their worst finish in my time at Rushden. That prompted something of an exodus at the direction of new manager Kenny McMillan. Among those departing were Nigeria defender Sam Ekwueme (₤7.75M to Newcastle), Saudi striker Talal Al-Ghamdi (released), 36-year-old former Brazil defender Neto (released) and ex-Rushden right winger Abdul Al-Shemmari (₤3.9M to Leicester).They brought in just two players, ex-Rushden striker Marcel Huisman (₤23.5M from Milan) and Poland attacking midfielder Piotr Sobczak (₤5M from Celta).

Genç held up well against a few early attacks but was left with little chance when Lekovic shoved an opponent in the area, conceding a penalty. Arsenal took the lead from the spot, and attempts from Nuno and Né to level the scores in the next few minutes were denied by saves. Lekovic played Nuno through the defence in the 37th, and the striker was tripped as he entered the area. That resulted in a penalty to Rushden, and a red card for the professional foul. Not only did Gibbs score from that, Né struck just before half time to give us the lead. The second half was reasonably even, with Genç making a few saves. We looked like retaining the lead until the 79th minute, when Genç fouled former Rushden striker Salvatore Chiappara. That was another penalty, and they made it 2-2. Substitute Oliva had a header saved a few minutes later, and while Nuno ran into the area in the 85th, he was cleanly tackled. With a long-range shot from Oliva deflected wide in the final moments, the game finished even.

Middlesbrough, Premier League, Home

Middlesbrough have had safe mid-table finishes for many years now. They lost no players of significance and brought in three free transfer signings, backup keeper Steven Craig (Dundee Utd), Ukraine left back Alexandr Usachev (Olympiakos) and talented Scotland midfielder/forward Gary Durie (Bolton). Bjorn Rexhaj made his Rushden début.

Norway and ex-Diamonds striker Simon Semb caused Genç some difficulty in the early minutes. Another former Rushden player, Phil Conroy, put a few shots wide, and the current Rushden pair of Oliva and Rexhaj did no better. Oliva scored in the 54th for a valuable lead, with Middlesbrough constantly off-target. Genç had to go off injured for the final half hour, and unusually I had a backup, Mete, on the bench. He pulled out a good save in the final moments to ensure the three points went to Rushden.

I sold off Richard Hulshoff to Leeds for ₤2.5M, with two stellar options for the left wing and plenty of decent ones for the forward roles.

Aston Villa, Premier League, Away

Having survived their first season back in the EPL, Villa have continued to consolidate their squad. They released two veterans, defender Jimmy King and keeper Bob Browne, and signed a dozen new players for a total of just ₤240K. Among those new faces are 37-year-old former Rushden keeper Francisco Briglia (free from Tenerife), Australia defender Craig Maisano (free from Werder Bremen, also an ex-Diamond), Kuwait midfielder Ahmed Al-Amoudi (free from MK Dons) and Northern Ireland midfielder Adam Duke (free from Rangers). They have also loaned in Sweden attacking midfielder Kjell Gustavsson from Barcelona.

A couple of wild shots at each end in the first fifteen minutes did nothing to establish the dominance of either side. Gibbs had the first real chance in the 16th, with his header saved. A minute later, Né and Avila repeated their double-act from the first game of the season – Né had his shot parried to the Argentinian midfielder, who scored. Mete held a free kick, which was Villa's best chance of the half – mostly due to many of their shots going well wide. Just as it looked like we would hold the lead, a 25-yard strike suddenly brought Villa level with just five minutes left. We failed to respond, and had to settle for another draw.

Nottingham Forest, Premier League, Home

Despite having spent over a decade in League Two, including as recently as 30/31, Forest have made it up to the EPL. They finished just outside relegation in their first two years back in the Championship and then came out of nowhere to come second last season. That charge was mostly led by mediocre new striker Nick Buxton and 33-year-old midfielder Mark Brennan, neither of whom are expected to do much this season. They have essentially bought a whole new team, with 21 players coming in at a total cost of ₤5.5M. The most expensive was defender Dacian Ghiviziu (₤1M from Wigan) with a stack of other players ranging from mediocre to quite poor.

Gonzalez, having finally earned English nationality, started on the pitch. He played a dangerous ball through for Rexhaj just seconds into the game, but the young striker missed his shot. Oliva missed a long shot and had a header saved, and it took his partner to open the scoring in his second game for the club. Rexhaj headed in a free from Holden for a 22nd minute lead. We really should have been a couple of goals up at half time, and though Forest weren't looking like much of a threat, we lost two points in the previous game to a goal against the run of play. It took a while, with Gonzalez eventually doubling the lead in the 73rd with a typical drive. Dan Spellman came off the bench for his first game of the season.

[Donners]

September, 2038

Sporting CP, Champions League Group D, Home

Sporting made the quarter final of this competition as recently as 34/35. Among their top players are Colombia keeper Sergio Machin, star Spain teenage midfielder Albert Santos and China striker Lu Hang.

Sinclair sent an early free deceptively short, with Nuno's header saved. Holden went straight for goal in the 10th with his free, which was deflected wide. The same happened to Sinclair a few minutes later, and when we finally got a shot from general play, Gonzalez went wide. Nuno twice broke into the area late in the half, with both resulting shots parried by Machin. Gibbs had a great opportunity in injury time when a corner was punched to him on the edge of the area, but he missed. It took just 27 seconds after the second half began for Avila to score, neatly tucking in a shot at the far side of the net. However, Sporting suddenly hit back with just their second shot of the game (to our eleven). Not only did Gonzalez have a powerful close-range shot saved in the 80th, Machin somehow kept out a follow-up from Né. Ten shots on target to two, and a one-all draw.

Leeds, Premier League, Away

Leeds barely avoided bouncing straight back to the Championship for the third time in a row. Their last four runs in the EPL have been for one, two, one and one years so it's better than usual just to last this long. They had two massive losses between the seasons – former Rushden defender Alban Nushi (₤17.5M to Atlético) and another centre back, Jack Mintus (₤7M to Valencia). They only spent a small fraction of that income, buying Rushden forward Richard Hulshoff (₤2.5M) and midfielder Bernard Quere (₤1.6M from Man City). They also snapped up plenty of free signings including Rushden right back Lajos Tóth, Romania defender Dorin Sarbu (Valladolid), right winger Roger Pons (Celta), Wales midfielder Ross Hayes (Celtic) and Greece striker Stefanos Vartziotis (Olympiakos).

Genç had to make a good save in the fourth minute when he was left outnumbered, and Avila took advantage by putting us ahead at the other end. Genç was left horrifically out of position in the 28th and Leeds looked to have scored into the open goal, only for it to be ruled offside. Pál opened the second half by hitting the bar with a chip. We had plenty of shots in the second half, but it was former Rushden forward Richard Hulshoff who came closest. His shot was deflected by Genç and the ball dribbled into the post. Maladenis got there first and thumped the ball clear. That allowed us to hold the one-goal lead.

Leicester, Premier League, Home

Leicester jumped back from a bad season to be seventh in 37/38. They offloaded a few relatively minor players; Belgium right winger Jaap Gabriels (₤2.2M to Bolton), midfielder Kristaps Dibrivny (₤1.9M to Sunderland) and left back Raul Garcia (₤1.3M to Dons). They brought in some far better players – Scotland keeper Craig Tierney (free from Aberdeen), ex-Rushden right winger Abdul Al-Shemmari (₤3.9M from Arsenal), Norway centre back Ole Husoy (₤10.5M from Barcelona) and Ukraine right back Ruslan Baklanov (₤9M from Monaco).

Long shots from Sinclair, Pál and Gibbs in the first twenty minutes were all saved. A forward, Avila, finally had a chance, breaking into the area, only to shoot wide. It was a frustrating first half, and Nuno began the second with two bad misses. Maladenis found Nuno with a long free into the area in the 73rd, and he dodged the keeper to score – only to have a flag raised for offside. Leicester did not have a single shot all game, but with a late Gibbs header tipped over, we did not manage to take the full points.

1860 München, Champions League Group D, Away

Though 1860 have had top-three finishes for the last three seasons, they have started this year in the Bundesliga quite poorly, with four losses in six games. They don't have a great squad, with USA striker Steve Curran their leading scorer and mediocre former Germany midfielder Alexander Kraus their second-most valuable player.

A terrific early pass from Pál was wasted by a missed shot from Avila, while Gonzalez and Gibbs were also off-target. Avila hit one accurately in the 25th but was unable to beat Grigoryan. Sinclair had a free just before half time, sending it into the area. Avila was shoved over, and a penalty was awarded. With ten shots to none, we certainly should have been in front, and even if it came from the spot, at least we would have the lead. However, Gibbs hit it straight at Grigoryan, who deflected it clear. More misses from Nuno and Pál, added to Avila missing six of eight attempts, left us with 20 shots to none, and just a single point to show for it.

James Gibbs was Player of the Month

[Donners]

October, 2038

Wigan, Premier League, Away

Wigan have spent seven years in the bottom-half of the table, and are constantly fighting against relegation. They lost no players of significance last season and signed two Ireland internationals from Birmingham for free (striker Joe Allan and midfielder James Judge) as well as Treviso midfielder Mattia Carboni, also for free. Young keeper Mario Milojevic made his début, with Mete dropped to the reserves after some mixed form.

Milojevic played an unexpected role in the opening minute of the game, launching a long pass for midfielder Piwowarczyk. He charged through the defence and took a shot, which was saved. Piwowarczyk came forward again in the 22nd, exchanging passes with Pereira and then finding Gonzalez. He played through Nuno, who scored with a powerful strike. Wigan had a few chances, with Milojevic having to punch away a chip in the 23rd. He was beaten on a counter-attack five minutes later, and it was 1-1. We were extremely quiet in the second half, and though Wigan did not challenge us much, the score remained level at the end.

Liverpool, Premier League, Away

We have already played Liverpool this season, beating them 3-1 in the Community Shield. After four goals in the last reserve game, 20-year-old striker Nikos Tsichlas came up for his début.

In less than five minutes, Tsichlas scored his first goal – heading in a Sinclair free kick from the box. There were no substantial chances for the remainder of the half for either side. Sinclair managed to cut out several potentially dangerous passes to keep Liverpool from having a shot in the second half and while Gonzalez was unable to score from several long-range shots, we held the one-goal lead. It was only on checking the statistics that our dominance was obvious – we had 23 shots to their four, with eight of those to Tsichlas (though just one on target).

Galatasaray, Champions League Group D, Away

Galatasaray tend to be cannon fodder for the group stage. Russia striker Victor Igonin is a decent player and they also feature Argentina forward Cristian San Roman. They are missing a number of key players through injury, including Denmark midfielder Erkan Caner.

An early challenge on Holden right on the edge of the area resulted in a straight red card. We came close to scoring from the free, with Avila hitting the crossbar. Avila didn't have any better luck with a shot from close range, hitting it straight into the keeper. I brought Nuno on for Tsichlas at the start of the second half, and straight from the kick-off he ran to the area and fired in a shot. It was parried to Né, who tapped it in. Twenty seconds for a goal, after forty-five minutes of frustration. Avila continued to be unable to score from right in front of goal, and it took a Sinclair free which rammed in off the frame from 30 yards to seal the win. Avila finally scored our third in injury time.

Manchester United, Premier League, Away

United have been in the top five for the last seven seasons and are making a clear push for the title this season. Having offloaded former Rushden keeper Anton Grigoryan (free to 1860 München) and Holland defender Serkan van den Hoogenband (free to Pisa, having not played a game after his ₤7M purchase) and sold Holland midfielder Gerrit van der Lee (₤12.75M to Napoli), they spent over ₤70M to boost their squad. Brazil left back Alexandre (₤27.5M from Porto) and France midfielder Salim Remy (₤26.5M from Atlético) were the most expensive, with 20-year-old forward Scott Hunter (₤11M from Chelsea), Italy centre back Angelo Battaglia (₤8.5M from Atlético) and Roma keeper Denis Wetzel (free) joining a squad which already features seven England internationals. We are the only two undefeated sides in the league.

Early misses from Nuno and Alexandre at either end kept the sides on their toes in the first few minutes. A long floating ball from Piwowarczyk managed to slip through the defence for Nuno, who tapped across to Oliva before his opponents could get to him. Oliva made no mistake, and two minutes later capitalised on a poor clearance to make it 2-0. We lost Nuno to injury just after half time, and I brought on Spellman to adopt a more defensive approach for the remainder of the game. Nonetheless, Genç had to make a couple of good saves in the first ten minutes of the half. Even when I brought on Skouras as a fourth defender, United continued to threaten through Remy and ex-Diamond Ibrahim Tolba. It took a top-class game from Genç to keep them out until the 82nd, when Scott Hunter made it 2-1. Lekovic missed the chance to extend the lead with a diving header which went wide, and Oliva put a shot from the corner of the area into the crowd. Despite five minutes of injury time, we did not concede again, and took top spot.

Tottenham, Carling Cup 3rd round, Away

Tottenham have survived the last two seasons in the EPL, though they weren't far from relegation last season. The released former Scotland left winger Robert Morrison and signed teenage striker Georg Rottger (₤1.5M from Koblenz), Portugal left back Jose Frederico (free from Lorient), and strikers Lawrie Millar (free from Airdrie Utd) and Steve Dean (free from Dundee).

With Nuno injured, Tsichlas got another chance to start on the pitch. In the 5th minute, he received a long ball from Gibbs and charged into the area. The defenders converged on him and knocked the ball away, right into the path of partner Avila. He took a shot at the open goal, and somehow missed. Ten minutes later, Maladenis put through an own goal to put Tottenham ahead. We had 13 shots but no significant chances. Things got even worse when Maladenis was sent off in the second half, completing his miserable game. We did not recover, and fell to our worst Carling Cup finish since 27/28.

Sunderland, Premier League, Home

Sunderland have been able to make European competition on a few occasions in recent seasons, but not last year. They have made substantial changes in a bid to push back up there, selling defender Wayne Steele to Milan for ₤8.75M and releasing former Holland left winger Erik de Jong and Venezuela midfielder Jose Ramirez., and spending ₤22.5M on new players. Among them are Scotland midfielder Alan Cargill (₤8.5M from Barnsley), utility Mark Douglas (₤5.75M from Rangers), former Rushden striker Bela Szili (₤4.5M from Brescia), right winger Christian Wimmer (₤1.6M from RW Essen) and Latvia midfielder Kristaps Dibrivny (₤1.9M from Leicester). They have also loaned in a couple of centre backs.

With misses from Pál, Né and Strand, the first half was scoreless. Worse, it saw Né leave the pitch with injury. It took a penalty from Zbozinek to finally give us the lead in the 52nd, and Avila put through a second moments later. That was an important break, with Sunderland pulling a goal back in the final twenty minutes. Though Avila was unable to beat three defenders in a late break, the ball spilled to Tsichlas who sealed the 3-1 win.

I was Manager of the Month.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Rushden       |       | 10    | 6     | 4     | 0     | 14    | 6     | +8    | 22    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Leicester     |       | 10    | 5     | 3     | 2     | 11    | 5     | +6    | 18    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Bolton        |       | 10    | 5     | 3     | 2     | 14    | 9     | +5    | 18    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Man Utd       |       | 10    | 5     | 3     | 2     | 14    | 9     | +5    | 18    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | West Ham      |       | 9     | 5     | 2     | 2     | 11    | 6     | +5    | 17    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | West Brom     |       | 10    | 5     | 1     | 4     | 17    | 15    | +2    | 16    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Liverpool     |       | 10    | 4     | 3     | 3     | 6     | 4     | +2    | 15    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Tottenham     |       | 10    | 4     | 3     | 3     | 8     | 11    | -3    | 15    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Sunderland    |       | 10    | 3     | 5     | 2     | 10    | 6     | +4    | 14    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | Arsenal       |       | 10    | 4     | 2     | 4     | 17    | 15    | +2    | 14    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Sheff Utd     |       | 10    | 4     | 2     | 4     | 7     | 7     | 0     | 14    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Newcastle     |       | 9     | 3     | 3     | 3     | 5     | 6     | -1    | 12    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Man City      |       | 10    | 3     | 2     | 5     | 12    | 14    | -2    | 11    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Aston Villa   |       | 10    | 3     | 2     | 5     | 9     | 12    | -3    | 11    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Nottm Forest  |       | 10    | 3     | 2     | 5     | 10    | 14    | -4    | 11    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Everton       |       | 10    | 3     | 2     | 5     | 10    | 18    | -8    | 11    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Middlesbrough |       | 9     | 2     | 2     | 5     | 10    | 11    | -1    | 8     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Leeds         |       | 10    | 2     | 2     | 6     | 11    | 15    | -4    | 8     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Chelsea       |       | 10    | 2     | 2     | 6     | 10    | 19    | -9    | 8     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Wigan         |       | 9     | 1     | 4     | 4     | 4     | 8     | -4    | 7     | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

November, 2038

Galatasaray, Champions League Group D, Home

It took a few late goals to get a decent win against Galatasaray last time. Three early misses from Oliva and an injury to Oliva did not start this game off any better. Indeed, we failed to score from eleven shots in the first half, and got just one on target. Prahl finally managed to threaten with a long shot in the last few minutes, but it was saved. A bad scoreless draw after such dominance.

Tottenham, Premier League, Away

This was our second game against Tottenham in a couple of weeks, having been knocked out of the Carling Cup by them.

Tottenham were almost gifted a goal in the 7th when Genç spilled a lobbed free, but Prahl kicked it clear. Speaking of being gifted goals, Tottenham's keeper wandered out of the area and sent a weak kick into the centre circle. Gonzalez got ahead of his opponent and from 45 yards, smacked the ball straight into the net. Lekovic passed to Tsichlas on the edge of the area in the 16th. Though the young striker got to the ball, it was immediately knocked back to Lekovic. He passed to Né on the other side of the area, and unlike his partner, Né got around his marker to score our second. Tottenham looked to have pulled one back with a header seconds after the kick-off, but it was ruled out. Genç had to make a few good saves to prevent them scoring in the following minutes, and we spent the remainder of the first half on the back foot. They eventually scored before half time. Tottenham's momentum did not carry into the second half, and they did not manage to equalise. 2-1 was enough.

Chelsea, Premier League, Home

It's only early days, but Chelsea have dropped from sixth to the relegation zone. They sold off three notable players – young striker Scott Hunter (₤11M to Man U), Norway midfielder Trond Fuglestad (₤6.25M to Man City) and England right back Steve Green (₤6M to Newcastle). They brought in a number of mediocre players, including Real Madrid pair Ricardo Figueroa (striker for ₤1.5M) and Juan Becerra (defender for ₤900K), another two from Valencia – right back Sergio Lopez (₤1.5M) and 33-year-old Portugal left back Costa (₤210K) as well as midfielder Angelo Pari (₤2.2M from Racing), Madagascar midfielder Bernard Randrianoelison (free from Dortmund), Algeria defensive midfielder Miloud Henni (free from Nantes) and Costa Rica keeper Josef Toman (₤3.3M from Maccabi Haifa). The big problem is that almost all of these players are in their senior side, which means it is quite unsettled. They have five players over 30 in their reserve side, which is indicative of their transitional phase. Inge Holm came in for his first game of the season, following an injury.

Having had a few disappointing games in the last few weeks, it was pleasing to see Oliva head in a Né cross early in the first half. A foul on the striker a few minutes later saw Zbozinek double the lead from the spot, and though Chelsea were lucky not to have a player sent off for kicking Né, we had a clear advantage at half time. Another set-up from Né saw Zbozinek score his second just after the break, and when an Oliva shot was parried, Né scored one for himself in the 58th. Dominic Holden, having had a free kick saved, played Oliva through for his 100th Rushden goal, and shortly afterwards passed for Né to score the third brace of the game. A 6-0 drubbing to reaffirm our place on top of the table.

Sheffield United, Premier League, Home

Sheffield managed to survive their first season back in the EPL. They have tried to boost their squad with a number of signings, such as Swiss right-side utility Thorsten Kessler ₤1.5M from Rostock), Scotland left back Paul Donachie (₤400K from Betis) and England right back Phil Greene (₤4.7M from MK Dons). They've also loaned in veteran Germany centre back Robin Muller from Villarreal and two other backups.

The first real chance came after half an hour, with a Gonzalez volley from inside the area missing. Né took advantage of a weak clearance just before the break to score from what was just the second shot of the game. Gonzalez and Oliva missed with second-half headers, while Genç made his first save of the game in the 71st minute. With just seven minutes to go, a sharp Sheffield attack saw Genç outnumbered, and a quick pass across the area saw a header into the open net to equalise. A few dangerous passes from Leandro were belted clear by the Sheffield defence, but just as it looked as if the game would finish level, Phil Greene handled the ball in the area. With just a minute to go, Zbozinek took the spot kick, and drilled Rushden back into the lead. That was what we needed for a narrow win.

Sporting CP, Champions League Group D, Away

We have been unusually mediocre in this competition, with three draws and a win from four games. Sporting are the other undefeated side in our group, having held us to a 1-1 draw in September.

Sporting had all the attacking play in the first ten minutes, with Genç barely able to knock away a powerful shot from outside the area. He had to keep out another from inside the area in the 16th as Sporting completely dominated the game. It took a terrific free from Strand to see Rushden take an unlikely lead.

They went pretty quiet after that, until the 55th when a header out of a pack rolled into the post and bounced clear. Another soft shot a few minutes later trickled towards the goal, and this time it went in to make it 1-1. With just two minutes to go, Oliva was gifted an open goal when a contest for a high pass sent the ball straight to him. From the edge of the box, he somehow went straight across the face of goal, putting it out for a goal kick. That looked like ending it, but two minutes into injury time, Né found Oliva. He ducked around the keeper and this time managed to score. A fortunate win, but three points nonetheless.

West Ham, Premier League, Away

West Ham finished third in the last two seasons, and occupy that position again. They sold off England left winger Peter McIntosh (₤12M to Lazio), Ireland left back Nathan Bower (₤2.7M to Man City) and Wales centre back Adam Graham (₤2.3M to Bolton). The Hammers' new signings certainly cover those, with Egypt midfielder Osama Radwan (₤12M from Roma), South Africa defender Lebo Thwala (₤5M from Sevilla) and Saudi right winger Bandar Al-Shemmari (free from Besiktas). They have three former Rushden players, defender Lebo Thwala, keeper Abdullah Al-Dossari and backup keeper Davide Silvestri.

Tsichlas tried to pass across goal to partner Oliva in the 16th, but a certain goal was prevented by a defender sliding in to knock the ball out for a corner. Piwowarczyk found Spellman with it, and he skimmed the top of the bar with his header. Prahl did find Oliva with a great ball from the middle, with the striker's shot barely turned away. This time Strand's corner found Tsichlas, with Al-Dossari punching it over. Maladenis almost gave them a goal against the run of play by giving the ball away in defence. Genç was up to the task, and kept out another few shots later in the half. Just as the half looked like ending scoreless, Strand was shoved in the area. Skouras took the penalty and scored his first goal for the club just before the break.

West Ham looked dangerous in the second half, with Genç having to make some terrific saves. Eventually they did score in the 64th to level the tally. With a late miss from Gonzalez, we had to settle for the single point.

We are still undefeated in the league and Europe, with our only loss for the season coming in the Carling Cup. It's fairly tight in the EPL, with Man U certainly challengers for the title and West Ham and Arsenal not too far away.

Né was Player of the Month, with Oliva second (and former Rushden defender Kristian Gaup third).

[Donners]

December, 2038

West Brom, Premier League, Home

West Brom have returned from seven years in the Championship, having won their league last season. They lost regular keeper Dave de Vris for free to PSV and released 36-year-old Egypt left back Mohammed Abdel Razek. They brought in a number of players for a low total cost. Among the highlights are defender Gary Harvey (₤2.2M from Cardiff), UAE midfielder Mohammed Abdullah (₤1.3M from Al-Ain), midfielder Wojcieh Gorzad (free from St Mirren) and Coventry forward Barry Eaton (free).

We got the ball into the area a handful of times in the first half without ever looking like scoring. It took a high ball from Lekovic into the area for Né to hit the back of the net, only to be dubiously ruled offside. Piwowarczyk had the chance to break the deadlock when the ball fell to him while unopposed, but he missed. It took a magnificent shot from Avila to drill in a goal from 25 yards in the 72nd. Rafael should have doubled the lead in his first game of the season, when Né sent through a great header. He couldn't beat the keeper from close range, and Né himself was denied a few minutes later. However, Né managed to score in the final moments thanks to a long pass from Sinclair which floated over the defence. 2-0.

Bolton, Premier League, Away

Bolton have been decent in the EPL and pushed up to the top half last season. They sold Slovenia defender Ales Markovic to Barcelona for ₤4.5M and Norway right back Ola Halvorsrud to Birmingham for ₤675K. They signed 36-year-old former Aston Villa keeper Bob Browne on a free transfer, also picking Albania striker Hasan Vata for free and buying Belgium right winger Jaap Gabriels (₤2.2M from Leicester), Wales centre back Adam Graham (₤2.3M from West Ham) and Arsenal centre back Matthew Talbot (₤2.4M).

Young keeper Mario Milojevic was put under heaps of pressure in the first 90 seconds, having to keep out three shots in a row before a fourth was put over the bar. At the other end, we took the lead with Lekovic stealing the ball and finding Rafael, who scored a rare goal. Bolton answered just a minute later, with a high pass getting over Sinclair for a simple finish. The game thankfully slowed down a bit after that. The next chance came in the 28th, when Pál passed to Né on the left side of the area. His shot was parried into the path of partner Rafael, who put in his second. Rafael's excellent game continued with a perfect pass across the pitch to Né to make it 3-1 in the 53rd. Having recovered well from a shaky start, we controlled the rest of the game. Gonzalez and Né were unlucky not to extend the lead even further.

1860 München, Champions League Group D, Home

1860 would have to beat us by four goals or more to knock us out of the competition and take our place. Our last meeting was a scoreless draw.

Avila has had a disappointing season, and began this game with two bad misses. All our moves seemed to end in weak finishes, and though we had most of the chances, 1860 went ahead in the 30th. That belatedly woke us up, with Sinclair heading in a Strand corner a minute later. The favour was returned, with Strand scoring from a Sinclair free just on half time. The centre back put through his second of the game with a direct free after the break. Avila finally managed to score with help from a perfect Gonzalez pass and Sinclair capped off his amazing day with another goal from a free – this one from 30 yards to complete a hat-trick from centre back. An emphatic 5-1 win to ensure our progression.

Everton, Premier League, Home

Everton have bounced straight back from relegation, albeit achieving promotion from 6th spot in the Championship. Their signings were reasonably conservative, such as Latvia midfielder Jurgis Sipailo (free from Brescia), Austria right back Herbert Mader (₤1.2M from Newcastle), Northern Ireland left winger Ryan Rouse (₤1.6M from Abderdeen), West Ham midfielder Antony Walsh (₤900K) and Portsmouth forward Joe Bramley (free).

Following on from his terrific performance in the last game, Sinclair floated a free kick into the box for Pál to head Rushden into the lead. Another defender Piwowarczyk, was able to score from 30 yards a few minutes later, having been found unopposed by a long through from Strand. A sharp strike from Everton saw them pull one back in the 24th, but striker Rafael managed to continue his revival with a second half goal that ensured our victory.

Manchester City, Premier League, Away

City have survived two seasons after promotion and haven't started this one too badly. They sold Scotland playmaker Alex Turner to Betis for ₤14M, with defender Jose Delgado going to Roma for ₤3.5M and France midfielder Bernard Quere to Leeds for ₤1.6M. Their new faces include 37-year-old former Ireland keeper Colin Weale (₤4K from Crystal Palace), Ireland left back Nathan Bower (₤2.7M from West Ham), Norway midfielder Trond Fuglestad (₤6.25M from Chelsea) and Holland striker Fred van Bremen (₤11.5M from PSV).

After Piwowarczyk and Sinclair gave the ball away with an exchange of passes that took too long, Genç had to make a good save to keep out a subsequent shot. We didn't mess around after that, with a quick attack seeing Oliva hit the post, then a sharp cross from Holden was headed in by Rafael to extend his exceptional form. Lekovic headed in a free kick from Pereira to double the lead later in the first half. City did not put up a huge challenge, though they did manage to score a consolation goal in the final five minutes. That was our 18th league game without a loss, and we are ten points clear on top of the table.

Newcastle, Premier League, Home

Despite being runner-up to Rushden for three consecutive seasons, Newcastle have had a terrible start, with just four wins from seventeen games. They have scored only ten goals in that time, though their defence has been strong. Their transfers do not offer the sole explanation. Among their departures were two defenders, Scotland left back Nikki Wood (₤10.5M to Atlético) and Austria right back Herbert Mader (₤1.2M to Everton) and two midfielders, Slovenia playmaker Marian Pavlik (₤14.5M to Milan) and Italy right winger Carlo Riva (₤31M to Roma). Despite some of those substantial fees, none of them were star players, and particularly none were involved in many goals. They also released Argentina forward Marcos Ramirez, bought for ₤46M in 29/30, but he played just one game last season. They brought in Sevilla forward David Morante (₤10.75M from Sevilla) but immediately loaned him out. Their other new signings were Nigeria defender Sam Ekwueme (₤7.75M from Arsenal and England right back Steve Green (₤6M from Chelsea).

Holden was the main threat in the first half hour, with three long-range efforts from the winger tipped over the bar. Lekovic couldn't manage to be as accurate from inside the area, wasting a shot in the 27th. However, a professional foul from Newcastle centre back Jack Pirie earned a penalty and straight red card. Skouras scored from the spot. Just 16 seconds into the spot, Oliva had a shot on goal from close range. It was parried back past him to partner Rafael, who scored from the edge of the area. Genç made a brilliant save despite being caught out of position, punching the ball over from outside the box. Newcastle had a second player sent off late in the second half, and Pál completed a 3-0 win in the 85th.

Arsenal, Premier League, Home

We drew with Arsenal 2-2 in the first league game of the season. Both their goals came from penalties, as did one of ours.

Piwowarczyk missed the only substantial chance of the first half, with a few Lekovic crosses cut out. Oliva should have scored shortly after the break when he got one on one with the keeper, but he chipped well over. Holden did far better with a 30-yard strike which whistled into the back of the net. Genç made a few terrific saves and was also spared by some poor shooting. That enabled us to keep the lead to end the year with another win.

I rejected a number of bids for Maladenis (as high as ₤8M) and Rexhaj as the transfer window approached. I re-signed Rafael but faced huge competition to re-sign striker Anderson. Keeper Genç re-signed but I am likely to let Mete go.

I was Manager of the Month, and Né was runner-up as Young Player of the Month.

[Terk]

Still hugely enjoying this, Donners So much so that I've pretty much stolen the format, lock, stock and barrel for my challenge story (imitation is the most sincere form of flattery ).

Expecting another title to wing its way to Nene Park come May

[Donners]

Cheers. I'm actually hoping for more than a league title this season - we've already got plenty of those!

January, 2039

As the transfer window opened, I took advantage of some release clauses by signing hugely promising German striker Leonardo (₤240K from Parana) and midfielder Raul Callejon (₤1.9M from Alicante)

Middlesbrough, Premier League, Away

Middlesbrough are in the middle of the table, with former Rushden strikers Phil Conroy and Simon Semb their leading scorers. Another ex-Diamond, Ken Walton, features in their midfield.

Gonzalez came close with two long-range shots in the first ten minutes, and that unfortunately set the tone for the rest of the game. Oliva, Holden and Spellman were all off-target, with Rafael completely ineffectual. Middlesbrough did not have a shot all game, yet the points were shared.

Aston Villa, Premier League, Home

Villa are on the bottom of the table and look to be in real trouble. Their leading scorer has just six goals for the season, and only another two have more than one.

Like the last game, we had a lot of off-target shots. Lekovic, Spellman and Sinclair were among the culprits. Strand sent in several crosses which were cut out by 37-year-old former Rushden keeper Francesco Briglia or missed by the recipient. Né finally put us ahead late in the first half, and Zbozinek scored in injury time from a poor clearance. Villa did give us a bit of a scare, with a header hitting the outside of the post, though the game was always in Rushden's control. Lekovic, Rafael and Né failed to beat Briglia from close range in the second half, and with several other Rushden shots saved, we really could have won by five.

I re-signed striker Anderson for much more than I would have if not for all the competition (nine bids from other major sides) and also got a work permit for Iraq striker Wisam Saad, who has spent two and a half seasons on loan at affiliate Offenbach.

Sheffield United, FA Cup 3rd round, Home

Just our luck to draw the third-placed fellow EPL side as we seek to avoid a second embarrassing cup exit. We scraped away with a 2-1 win in November at Nene Park thanks to a late penalty. Despite their high league position, they have few stand-out players in performance or ability. Wales striker Adam Rudge is their main threat. Rookie keeper Mario Milojevic came in, as did striker Nikos Tsichlas.

In the 10th, Avila collected a Strand pass in a bit of space and fired in a shot which was parried to the edge of the area. Zbozinek got to it first and saw his strike hit the crossbar and bounce clear. Né scored his tenth goal of the season in the 31st, heading in a Piwowarczyk free kick, and only a block from a defender kept out a similar move five minutes later. Sheffield took advantage of that lucky escape, scoring through Rudge to level the scores before half time. He doubled his tally on the other side of the break, and a few minutes later it was 1-3. Avila came close with a great curling shot which was barely parried, as was a free from Strand. We did not get any closer after that, and our second loss of the season was also the second failure at the first hurdle of a cup. That ended a 16-game streak without a loss. Milojevic and Tsichlas were quickly sent back to the reserves.

I signed Morocco striker Abderrazak Haddad to a new contract, with a work permit. He was on loan at Offenbach last season but refused to go this time, meaning he has not played all season. He will start in the reserves, but is a chance to be promoted once he gets his fitness back. With an injury to Rafael, I brought newly re-signed striker Anderson to the seniors. Nuno is also returning from injury.

Nottingham Forest, Premier League, Away

Forest's return to the EPL will not last long. They are bottom of the table and are likely to be relegated. They have added to their 20+ signings with Croatia left winger Marin Banovic (₤1.2M from Bordeaux) who will certainly not be enough to save them on his own.

Oliva set the tone with a shot 13 seconds after the kick-off. It went over, but Genç had to make a save at the other end a minute later. Oliva scored in the 13th, breaking an 11-hour drought when a Né shot was parried to him. Né missed several shots, and we nearly lost the lead when Genç parried to a striker just after half time. Thankfully, Skouras got in to clear off the line. Wisam Saad made his début and Nuno returned from injury in the final minutes. The latter missed a chance to extend the lead, which was thankfully unnecessary.

With Saad moving up to the senior squad, I sold Norway centre back Inge Holm to Real Madrid for ₤12.25M. He was interested in the move and joins seven other Rushden players at that club. My bank balance is actually nearing the ₤1 billion mark – not that I ever use it!

Leeds, Premier League, Home

Leeds are also in relegation trouble. They look to be cleaning up their squad, with seven sales in January. They are mostly fringe players, such as Portugal midfielder Jose Pedrosa (₤1.1M to Crystal Palace), left back Richard Peat (₤1.9M to Aberdeen), Ghana centre back Andrew Armah (₤3.1M to Everton) and ex-Rushden right back Jurgen Fuchs (₤1.4M to Birmingham). Their only purchase has been a big one, England midfielder Gary Prosser, for ₤15.75M from Arsenal. Anderson came in for his first game of the season, having signed a new contract despite attention from a number of leading sides.

Sinclair looked to have made a bad mistake when he gave the ball away on the edge of the area, but the Scotland veteran recovered, corralling the striker and then tackling him cleanly. Anderson had the chance to really make a mark on the senior side when Lekovic found him in the area. Unfortunately, he shot wide, and when he collected a pass from Sinclair a few minutes later, the young striker could not beat the keeper from inside the area. Piwowarczyk gave Anderson another chance with an incisive pass, and again the striker's effort went the wrong side of the post. Strand had a shot saved and Lekovic and Né missed. We had complete control for 45 minutes, yet not a single goal.

Né had a shot parried to partner Anderson a few minutes into the second half. Anderson delayed just long enough for a defender to get back to clear his shot off the line. Strand missed one diving header, then finally put in a Sinclair free for the lead. Avila managed to find Né in an incredible amount of space on a break, yet he could not get past the keeper. Gonzalez replaced Anderson and inherited the same problems, missing two shots. We got a belated second through a Zbozinek penalty. To sum up our game, Né hit the post with a late header. Still, it was three points.

After 24 games, we have an astonishing 18 point lead over the second-placed team. That's a 6 game gap, with only 14 left – and we are yet to suffer a loss in the league. With our terrible cup results, exiting in our first game of each, we need to dominate. The extra rest should be beneficial when we get back into the Champions League from next month.

Né was Young Player of the Month.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Rushden       |       | 24    | 18    | 6     | 0     | 44    | 12    | +32   | 60    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | Man Utd       |       | 24    | 11    | 9     | 4     | 30    | 17    | +13   | 42    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Arsenal       |       | 24    | 12    | 5     | 7     | 39    | 24    | +15   | 41    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | West Ham      |       | 24    | 10    | 11    | 3     | 32    | 17    | +15   | 41    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Sheff Utd     |       | 24    | 11    | 7     | 6     | 27    | 18    | +9    | 40    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Liverpool     |       | 24    | 11    | 6     | 7     | 30    | 18    | +12   | 39    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Leicester     |       | 24    | 11    | 6     | 7     | 25    | 17    | +8    | 39    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Tottenham     |       | 24    | 9     | 8     | 7     | 21    | 23    | -2    | 35    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Sunderland    |       | 24    | 8     | 10    | 6     | 22    | 17    | +5    | 34    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | West Brom     |       | 24    | 8     | 8     | 8     | 31    | 33    | -2    | 32    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Bolton        |       | 24    | 8     | 6     | 10    | 24    | 28    | -4    | 30    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Newcastle     |       | 24    | 5     | 12    | 7     | 16    | 22    | -6    | 27    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Chelsea       |       | 24    | 6     | 9     | 9     | 30    | 40    | -10   | 27    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Middlesbrough |       | 24    | 6     | 8     | 10    | 26    | 26    | 0     | 26    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Wigan         |       | 24    | 5     | 11    | 8     | 17    | 22    | -5    | 26    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Man City      |       | 24    | 5     | 9     | 10    | 28    | 34    | -6    | 24    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Everton       |       | 24    | 5     | 7     | 12    | 30    | 44    | -14   | 22    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Leeds         |       | 24    | 4     | 8     | 12    | 16    | 33    | -17   | 20    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Aston Villa   |       | 24    | 5     | 4     | 15    | 18    | 35    | -17   | 19    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Nottm Forest  |       | 24    | 5     | 4     | 15    | 16    | 42    | -26   | 19    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

February, 2039

Leicester, Premier League, Away

Leicester have matched their good effort last season, fighting for a European spot again. They held us to a scoreless draw last time, and added Austria defender Andreas Hickersberger (₤1.3M from Palermo). However, they lost Bulgaria defender Nikolay Topalov (₤3.8M to Inter) and centre back Thomas Johannesen (₤3.8M to Sheffield United).

Leicester almost went ahead after five minutes. When Anderson lost the ball on an attack, Leicester hit back with a fast counter-attack that was only thwarted by Genç's save. A classic long-range strike from Strand put us ahead in the 30th, yet overall Leicester were probably the better side of the half. Norway forward Nicolas Overas was particularly dangerous, despite not appearing overly talented (he's on the fringe of my national side). Leicester looked to have scored in the 67th, but it was ruled offside. Despite a terrible late miss from Lekovic, we held on for a somewhat fortunate win. Genç was just pipped by Piwowarczyk as Man of the Match.

Wigan, Premier League, Home

Wigan are into the relegation zone, despite a 1-1 draw against Rushden in October. They had two substantial sales in January, Wales right back mark Kinch (₤2.4M to Crystal Palace) and left back Guiseppe Cappelli (₤4.9M to Southampton) and only bought defender Jon Cole (₤1.9M from Celtic). They also signed two players on loans, Celtic right back John Lloyd and former Brazil right winger Luciano from Man U.

Né took only a couple of minutes to score, squeezing a shot between a crowd of players after a corner. However, Wigan were level three minutes later. Lekovic floated a pass over to Anderson in the area, and he put a shot behind the keeper for a 2-1 lead after a dozen minutes. The game thankfully slowed down for the rest of the half, with no addition to the score. We lost both Avila and Né to knocks shortly into the second half, and one of the substitutes, Nuno, drew a penalty in the 54th. Skouras put it in to extend the lead, though we then lost Strand to another injury. Piwowarczyk saved Genç after the keeper sent a pass straight to a Wigan forward, but a sharp strike made it 3-2 just before we entered injury time. We held on through five minutes of injury time, though it came at a big cost. Strand was put out for a month, and Avila had his season ended by a broken foot. We have Dominic Holden as a direct replacement for the former, but Avila is our second-highest scorer.

Liverpool, Premier League, Away

Liverpool are in the top few, though slightly off the pace from Manchester United (and, of course, well below Rushden). They made two purchases in January – Valencia right winger Daniel Prats for ₤600K and a big one, Spain centre back Mikel Vazquez (₤23M from Villarreal). Strikers Richard Scott and Freddy Vargas have 30 goals between them for the season, while our only player in double figures is Né with 11.

Genç had to make a save after just eighteen seconds and Liverpool were clearly on top. They took the lead in the 18th. Né came close for Rushden, with a shot from inside the area tipped wide. Piwowarczyk took the resulting corner, and Nuno was knocked over as he went for it. Skouras took the shot, and for the second game in a row scored the penalty. However, we were only level briefly, with Genc missing a high pass to let through a second goal to England veteran Richard Scott before half time. They got a third and fourth to end the game and our fantastic run of twenty-eight league games without a loss.

Our injury problems got worse with Né out for a month with a training injury. We are now missing our two leading scorers.

Palermo, Champions League 1st knockout round, leg 1, Away

Palermo have had a terrible league season, and are in danger of relegation from Serie A despite finishing fourth last season. They do have a lot of stars, such as Holland midfielder Ronald Zwarthoed (just bought for ₤18M), Argentina midfielder Dario Gonzalez and England centre back Paul Mudge, so it's a mystery why they have done so badly.

An error from Zbozinek nearly gifted Palermo an early goal, with Genç only spared by a wide shot. We did not have a single attempt at goal for the entire first half. Lekovic at least started the second half with a shot, albeit one that went well wide. Oliva was dispossessed in the area and Genç had to punch a shot over. Just as it looked like we would escape with a draw, Palermo scored in the final minutes. We had another dismal game overall and never looked like scoring. This is a bad time of year to suddenly be totally out of form.

Manchester United, Premier League, Home

With our poor recent form, this game against the second-placed side loomed large. They cut our lead at the top to 15 points after our last loss, and could narrow the gap even further. We did beat them 2-1 with a brace to Oliva in October, and he lined up alongside Nuno for this game. They were busy in the transfer market as usual, selling Brazil striker Anderson (₤6.75M to Betis) and Turkey defender Tanyildiz Emre (₤5.5M to Villarreal) and buying right winger Henri Aalbers (₤16M from Lyon) and centre back Steve McDermott (₤10M from Sunderland).

A free kick from Holden was saved and Pál hit the side netting with our only two shots of the half. United did not do much more, with Genç keeping out a close-range effort from Tolba but otherwise unchallenged. Nuno forced a save in the 59th, one of his rare bright moments since returning from injury. He made a great solo run through the defence a minute later, only to waste it with a terrible shot. Genç made a great save in the 68th, and with a late header from Saad saved, the game ended scoreless. It was a fairly flat effort, but at least we retained the lead on the table.

That was a pretty horrible month. We are at risk of exiting the Champions League in the first knockout round and are in terrible league form. Even though we won the first two games, they were quite unconvincing. The loss of Né and Avila – scorers of a third of our goals for the season – combined with poor form for Nuno, Oliva and Anderson leaves us without an obvious scoring option. It's lucky we built up such a lead in the league (still 15 points) or we'd be in real trouble. As it is, it looks like the league will be our only success.

[tenthreeleader]

Great run in the league, Donners ... sorry to see it end.

[Donners]

Thanks. Serves me right for trying to focus on success outside the league.

March, 2039

Sunderland, Premier League, Away

Sunderland are in the middle of the table, though they sold centre back Steve McDermott to Man U for ₤10M and only replaced him with Chelsea's Darren Crosby (₤600K). None of their players have managed more than seven goals for the season, though nor have any of ours in this game. With our injuries, I brought in Morocco striker Abderrazak Haddad to make his senior début after a reserve hat-trick, partnering Anderson.

We looked to be behind in barely 90 seconds, with a Sunderland goal thankfully ruled offside. After Sunderland had much of the attacking play, Anderson brought the ball down the left. He centred to Zbozinek, who curiously passed back to the wide striker. Nonetheless, Anderson took the shot from a tight angle, and despite all his misses from far simpler positions, he put this straight into the back of the net. However, Sunderland scored a few minutes later and this time it stood. A failed clearance from Sinclair allowed them to take the lead before half time. As if that wasn't bad enough, Pereira was inexplicably sent off for a shove just seconds after the break. Pál at least earned his red card, punching an opponent. Another dismal game, with two players facing bans. Thankfully, United suffered a loss against West Ham, so there's no problem with our hold on the league title.

Palermo, Champions League 1st knockout round, leg 2, Home

We came into this with dismal form, no strikers and a 0-1 deficit. I had to pair up Anderson and Rexhaj, with Oliva, Avila and Né injured, Haddad ineligible and Nuno out of form. One player who had to step up with those losses was midfielder Gonzalez, who powered through the defence for a 6th minute goal. Any promise shown by that start was quickly ended with Palermo scoring in the 12th. That not only put them ahead on aggregate, but gave them an away goal. We had several players receive yellow cards for undisciplined acts and yet again looked incapable of scoring.

Tottenham, Premier League, Home

Tottenham are in the middle of the table. They knocked us out of the Carling Cup, though we beat them 2-1 in the league. They added Cardiff forward Trond Ringstad (₤2.8M) and sold a few minor players in January. There was another new face in the Rushden side, 20-year-old keeper Nelson. Both Pereira and Pál were suspended, with numerous other players injured.

The first half saw just two shots, one each to Rushden partners Oliva and Haddad. Oliva collected a loose ball to score shortly into the second half, and from there we had control. Haddad scored his first for the club when a Gonzalez shot was parried to him, and Oliva capped off a much-needed win with a third in injury time.

Our gap at the top has been cut to 13 points by West Ham, though with eight games to go we should be safe.

| Pos   | Inf   | Team          |       | Pld   | Won   | Drn   | Lst   | For   | Ag    | G.D.  | Pts   | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 1st   |       | Rushden       |       | 30    | 21    | 7     | 2     | 53    | 20    | +33   | 70    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 2nd   |       | West Ham      |       | 30    | 15    | 12    | 3     | 39    | 19    | +20   | 57    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 3rd   |       | Arsenal       |       | 30    | 17    | 5     | 8     | 51    | 29    | +22   | 56    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 4th   |       | Man Utd       |       | 31    | 15    | 11    | 5     | 36    | 19    | +17   | 56    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 5th   |       | Liverpool     |       | 30    | 15    | 7     | 8     | 41    | 23    | +18   | 52    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 6th   |       | Sheff Utd     |       | 30    | 13    | 9     | 8     | 31    | 23    | +8    | 48    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 7th   |       | Leicester     |       | 30    | 12    | 9     | 9     | 31    | 23    | +8    | 45    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 8th   |       | Newcastle     |       | 30    | 10    | 13    | 7     | 25    | 22    | +3    | 43    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 9th   |       | Sunderland    |       | 30    | 9     | 12    | 9     | 25    | 24    | +1    | 39    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 10th  |       | West Brom     |       | 30    | 10    | 9     | 11    | 37    | 41    | -4    | 39    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 11th  |       | Tottenham     |       | 30    | 10    | 9     | 11    | 24    | 30    | -6    | 39    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 12th  |       | Bolton        |       | 31    | 10    | 7     | 14    | 39    | 42    | -3    | 37    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 13th  |       | Middlesbrough |       | 30    | 8     | 9     | 13    | 31    | 31    | 0     | 33    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 14th  |       | Chelsea       |       | 30    | 7     | 12    | 11    | 32    | 45    | -13   | 33    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 15th  |       | Man City      |       | 30    | 7     | 11    | 12    | 35    | 41    | -6    | 32    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 16th  |       | Everton       |       | 30    | 8     | 8     | 14    | 38    | 48    | -10   | 32    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 17th  |       | Wigan         |       | 30    | 6     | 11    | 13    | 24    | 35    | -11   | 29    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 18th  |       | Aston Villa   |       | 30    | 7     | 6     | 17    | 26    | 43    | -17   | 27    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 19th  |       | Leeds         |       | 30    | 5     | 9     | 16    | 18    | 42    | -24   | 24    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 
| 20th  |       | Nottm Forest  |       | 30    | 6     | 4     | 20    | 20    | 56    | -36   | 22    | 
| ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| 

[Donners]

April, 2039

Chelsea, Premier League, Away

Chelsea look to be able to avoid relegation, though they are just one game away from 18th spot. Despite this, they sold Norway defender Markus Bjerkeseth (₤4.5M to Inter) and used Scotland left back Jimmy Mathieson in an exchange for Newcastle striker Sean Wheeler. They also spent up though, with Austria centre back Damir Aigner (₤6.75M from Palermo), Tunisia midfielder Mohamed Zitoun (₤8.5M from Fenerbahçe) and defender Shaun Jeffrey (₤10M from Sheffield United) all added.

Gonzalez got Rushden off to a perfect start, scoring within 30 seconds. Chelsea equalised in the 19th, or so it seemed until a foul was spotted. There were very few chances in the first half, with Haddad and Rexhaj ineffective for Rushden. It was a dull match overall, with that early goal the difference. With West Ham losing to Tottenham, we are 14 points clear of 2nd placed Arsenal.

Abderrazak Haddad had his season ended by a broken shoulder, though thankfully Né returned to take his place.

Sheffield United, Premier League, Away

Sheffield United look set for a European spot. They are quite reliant on three on-loan players, which raises some questions about the quality of their squad, particularly after they sold defender Shaun Jeffrey to Chelsea for ₤10M. However, they did bring in Norway defender Thomsa Johannesen (₤3.8M from Leicester) and Atlético striker Ander Pérez (free).

In short, this was a dismal performance. We did not have a single shot on target and were four goals down just after the break. Our slump is simply inexplicable. It is perhaps understandable that we would fail to score, though Né was back for this game, but to suddenly be letting through all these goals is baffling when the back half is the same.

West Ham, Premier League, Home

West Ham are third on the table, and were just knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid. They made a few minor moves in January, selling left back Luciano Damiano (₤2.4M to Messina) and Bulgaria midfielder Rosen Gospodinov (₤2M to Pescara) and buying Southampton left back Anton Currie (₤1M) and Egypt left winger Walid Youssef (₤1.9M from Betis). I dumped Leandro, Saad, Anderson and Rexhaj to the reserves, with Tsichlas returning to partner Oliva.

A free kick from Holden was cleared off the line in the opening minute, and as he has done several times recently, Gonzalez was the one to open the scoring. Despite losing Gibbs to an injury, we had most of the play and looked in control. All it took was a rare shot from West Ham, and scores were level in the 55th. Oliva took the opportunity to finally step up, scoring a terrific goal to restore the lead. It took some terrific saves from Genç to keep us ahead, then in the final moments of injury time, Holden sealed it with a free kick. A desperately needed 3-1 win, and against a top side, too. Gibbs had his season ended with a thigh strain. Remarkably, Arsenal somehow only came away with a point against Wigan despite leading 3-0 at half time, which extended our gap at the top to 15 points with five games left.

West Brom, Premier League, Away

West Brom are in the middle of the table; a good effort after promotion. They continued to build their squad in January with four small signings, including former West Ham striker Paul Lea (free) and Poland midfielder Lukasz Mikolajczak (₤750K from Levski).

The first half was quite even, with each side having a handful of shots. Genç kept out the best chance, punching a chip over the bar in the 44th. Oliva came close in the 64th, hitting the outside of the post, and three minutes later he was made to pay, with a goal at the other end. Once again it was Gonzalez to the rescue, with his fourth goal in six games. However, not even he could save us when West Brom scored again with five minutes left. Yet another loss to continue our horrible last few months, and Lekovic will miss the remaining games through injury. He now joins a list including Gibbs, Nelson, Skouras, Haddad and Avila – all out for the final games. The title is still mathematically alive, with Arsenal now 12 points behind with four games left. Surely we can't lose them all?

Bolton, Premier League, Home

Bolton are towards the relegation zone but look safe. They brought in a few minor signings in January, relying on former Rushden striker Mark Hayward and Scotland defender Shaun Bowman to keep them afloat.

Genç had to make a save in the opening minute, yet we were the ones to score first. Yet again, it was Gonzalez, who has really stepped up with the poor form of the strikers. A penalty in the 34th saw Zbozinek double the lead. Terrific games from Genç and Saad saw us retain the lead and finally confirm our victory in the EPL.

That was our fifth straight title, though it came from an otherwise disappointing season. I am now third on the England Hall of Fame list, and 19th in Europe.

Everton, Premier League, Away

I made no significant changes to the side, even with the title win confirmed. Everton are a mid-table side with veteran Uruguay striker Pedro the leading scorer in the league. They signed 33-year-old Ghana defender Andrew Armah from Leeds for ₤3.1M and sold Portugal defender Ferreira to Napoli for ₤1.9M.

Everton went ahead in the 12th after a shot deflected off Saad and into the goal. They scored again later in the half. Tsichlas was off-target, Né was again being held scoreless and a third goal to Everton in the second half just made things even worse. Zbozinek scored what looked to be a minor consolation in the 68th, but things suddenly looked interesting when Né scored three minutes later. All of a sudden, we were just a goal behind, with plenty of time left. We received a free kick in the 74th which Oliva sent into the area. Prahl rose up and headed in his first goal of the season. Of course, it was not to be. Everton restored their lead a few minutes later, and our comeback was over. 3-4, as we yet again leaked far too many goals.